Ukraine says its captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia

The US has called out a “disturbing” discovery in Ukraine which has been called a clear sign Vladimir Putin “will do anything but end the war”.

The US said it was alarmed after two Chinese citizens were caught allegedly fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the nation’s military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army in a post on social media on Tuesday.

“This happened on the territory of Ukraine – in the Donetsk region,” he said in a post on social media which included a video of one of the alleged Chinese prisoners.

The video shows a man wearing military fatigues with his hands bound, mimicking sounds from combat and uttering a small number of words in Mandarin, during an apparent interview with a Ukrainian official not pictured.

At one point he is heard saying the word “commander”.

Moscow and Beijing have in recent years boasted of their “no limits” partnership and deepened political, military and economic co-operation since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Addressing reports on Tuesday, US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters: “It’s disturbing with the Chinese soldiers having been captured”.

“China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine. China provides nearly 80 percent of the dual use items Russia needs to sustain the war,” she said.

“Continued cooperation between these two nuclear powers will only further contribute to global instability and make the United States and other countries less safe, less secure and less prosperous,” she said.

One of two Chinese soldiers President Volodymyr Zelensky said were captured by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. Picture: AFP Photo/Official Telegram channel of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

The US since the administration of former President Joe Biden, has taken China to task for sending Russia dual-use items, which can be used for civilian or military purposes.

China, while hailing its relationship with Russia, has publicly steered clear of directly backing the war in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump has called for prioritizing efforts to counter China and has sought to negotiate an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the prisoners were likely Chinese citizens who were enticed into signing a contract with the Russian army, rather than being sent by Beijing.

They were captured “a few days ago”, the source said, adding there may be more of them.

“Nothing is completely clear yet. When they are delivered to the SBU (Ukraine’s security service) and at least interrogated, we will understand,” the source added.

The source sent images of ID cards linked to one of the prisoners, which showed the date of his birth as June 4, 1991 and said he belonged to the Han ethnicity – the majority ethnic group in China.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Picture: Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky. Picture: Julien De Rosa/AFP

‘Decisive enabler’

There was no immediate response to the claims from either Moscow or Beijing, but Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media that China’s charge d’affaires had been summoned for an explanation.

“Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China’s declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council,” Mr Sybiga said.

China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.

But it is a close political and economic ally of Russia, and NATO members have branded China a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s invasion, which Beijing has never condemned.

US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the war since taking office, but his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough.

Kyiv has repeatedly urged Beijing to pressure Moscow to end its invasion, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and so far failed to achieve the Kremlin’s core objectives.

The Chinese embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. Picture: Genya Savilov/AFP

‘Urgent’ discussions

Mr Zelensky said Kyiv had evidence that “many more Chinese citizens” are fighting alongside Russian forces and that he had instructed his foreign minister to find out how China intends to respond.

He said the capture of the two men and Moscow’s involvement of China in the conflict were “a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything but end the war”.

Zelensky also demanded “a reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace” in his post online.

“I think the United States should pay more attention to what is happening today,” he said separately at a press conference in Kyiv.

The war in Ukraine, now grinding through its fourth year, has attracted thousands of foreign fighters to both sides.

Ukraine has been urging its Western partners to respond to the Russian deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to the western region of Kursk.

Ukraine has been struggling to hold ground after launching an offensive on the border region last year.

“The North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk region, the Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners, I think urgently,” Mr Zelensky added in the press conference.

Kyiv, which dispatched its then-foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba to China last year, has been seeking to deepen ties with Beijing.

Mr Zelensky appointed a new ambassador to China this week.