Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that two Chinese nationals have been captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in the Donetsk region. The announcement, made on 8 April, marks the first publicly known instance of Chinese citizens allegedly participating directly in the war on behalf of Russia.
President Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence suggests there may be more Chinese individuals involved in combat operations in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned the Chinese chargé d’affaires in Kyiv to demand clarification regarding the incident.
So far, there is no concrete evidence that the individuals were acting on behalf of the Chinese government. China has not issued any official response to the allegations.
Reports in recent months have speculated about the presence of Chinese mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, these claims remain largely unverified. In the past, images purportedly showing Chinese troops in Ukraine have been debunked, with fact-checkers revealing the photographs to be either digitally altered or taken from unrelated military exercises.
While Zelenskyy’s statement has stirred renewed concerns about foreign involvement in the war, experts caution that isolated incidents involving foreign nationals should not be immediately interpreted as state-sponsored participation.
