Ukraine has identified about 155 Chinese nationals involved in the war against Ukraine. There is evidence that many more are involved – and the Chinese leadership is aware of this. The Chinese are recruited through Chinese social media, including TikTok. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this at a briefing on 9 April, according to a correspondent for lb.ua.
The Russians distribute videos on Chinese social media about open – not secret – recruitment. According to Ukraine, the Chinese authorities are aware of this.
It is possible that there is also secret recruitment.
Recruited Chinese citizens arrive in Moscow, where they undergo a 3–4-day medical examination and a month of training. After that, they receive migration and payment cards to which they are paid.
The President said that two Chinese captured in Donetsk Region were captured in different villages by soldiers of two different Ukrainian brigades. It is possible that Chinese citizens are fighting not only in the east but also in other areas of Ukraine.
“Two Chinese citizens we have: Wang Guangjun, born in 1991. He was taken prisoner on 4 April 2025 – Bilohorivka, Donetsk Region – by soldiers of the 81st Separate Airmobile Brigade. Zhang Renbo, a citizen of the People’s Republic of China. Born on 5 February 1998. He was taken prisoner on 5 April 2025 near Tarasivka, Donetsk Region, by the 157th Separate Mechanised Brigade,” the President said.
Ukraine is ready to exchange captured Chinese citizens for its citizens.
“These two were taken to the Security Service in Kyiv. I think we will give journalists the opportunity to talk to them. I think it will be appropriate. They are more talkative than the prisoners from North Korea, as far as we can see. Speaking of which. We thought that one person there would not survive because of his injuries. They underwent appropriate surgeries, they are alive and are in Ukraine. We would like to exchange them. We are ready to exchange them only for Ukrainian soldiers who are in Russian captivity. We have sent this signal,” he said.
Commenting on the motivation of the Chinese to participate in the war, the President said that he did not know it.
“The Security Service of Ukraine will work on this. We are just recording, thanks to the data and details that we have, that China at the level of official missions knew about the dispatch. We are not saying that someone gave any command, we do not have such information. But we record that they knew about it. We record that these are Chinese citizens, they are fighting against us, using weapons against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine. I don’t know their motivation, money or not, their politics, etc. But it will be known,” he said.
Ukraine is counting on the US reaction, the President stressed.
“The United States of America is very surprised and believes that this is unacceptable. These are the signals they have sent us. I have not received any other signals so far. I have asked the Foreign Minister to deal with this,” he said.
China’s involvement in the war
- According to sources in the Ukrainian special services, Chinese citizens began signing contracts with the Russian army a year ago, in the winter and spring of 2024. The process continued throughout the year, and in autumn they began to be actively trained on Russian territory and assigned to brigades. According to Ukrainian data, the Chinese serve in different ranks and positions.
- Throughout the entire period of the full-scale war, Beijing claimed to be “neutral”, but at the same time continued to trade with Russia, did not impose restrictive measures against it, and actively sold it dual-use goods that could be used for military purposes. In its official rhetoric, China avoided holding Russia responsible for its aggression, and referred to the war as a “conflict”. At the same time, it verbally supported peaceful aspirations and negotiations.
- On 8 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced for the first time that Ukraine had captured two Chinese citizens, and that there had been a battle with six Chinese in total. This took place on Ukrainian territory, in the Donetsk Region – in contrast to the participation of North Korean citizens in the war, whom the Russians are using in the Kursk Region.
- Beijing said that it was “studying” the situation with the capture of its citizens, and called the information that there were more than two Chinese involved in the war “groundless”.
- Russia has previously used citizens of other countries in combat operations. Most of them were from poor countries who agreed to fight for money or were deceived into joining the frontline by being promised jobs in Russia. There were also Iranian instructors who trained Russians on Shahed drones. Russia uses the DPRK military as a contingent, not as individual recruits.