Zelensky: 155 Chinese fight for Russia, according to the Ukrainian secret services

Zelensky: 155 Chinese fight for Russia, according to the Ukrainian secret services

The President of Ukraine, Wolodymyr Selenskyj, announced on Wednesday that Ukrainian intelligence had identified 155 Chinese citizens who are fighting alongside Russian troops. This announcement followed a day after the Ukraine announced that two Chinese citizens had been captured in the country.

recruitment of Chinese citizens

Selenskyj said that Chinese citizens had been recruited by advertisements, including on social media. China repeatedly contested any participation in the war. A spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Chinese citizens are fighting in Ukraine as "baseless".

official statement by Chinas

"It is important to emphasize that the Chinese government has always instructed its citizens to keep their citizens away from conflict areas and not to participate in any form in conflicts, especially not in military operations one of the parties," said spokesman Lin Jian at a press conference.

List of Chinese fighters

a document of Ukrainian security authorities that CNN has been viewed, according to there is a list of more than 150 Chinese citizens who have served with the Russian armed forces, although most of them should be in the lowest military ranks. Most contracts in this document are dated the year "2024" and affect various military units. However, this list was not verified by CNN.

other options for recruitment

"We collect information and believe that there are many more," said Selenskyj on Wednesday and claimed that Beijing was informed that Russians published recruitment videos in Chinese social networks. "These people come to the Russian Federation, to Moscow. The medical examinations last three to four days. The training centers are for one or two months. They fight on the territory of Ukraine," he added.

Questions about the official policy of Beijings

When asked whether he believes that the presence of Chinese citizens in Ukraine was due to Beijings's official policy, Selenskyj replied: "I have no answer. The security service of Ukraine will work on it ... We do not say that someone has given a command, we do not have such information."

capture of Chinese citizens

The allegations of Chinese citizens who fight alongside Russian troops follow the information from Ukraine that two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army in Eastern Ukraine captured . Selenskyj said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian armed forces had secured the documents, bank cards and personal data of the Chinese nationals.

exchange plans for captured Chinese

The Ukrainian President added on Wednesday that Ukraine was "ready to exchange the two people" for Ukrainian prisoners of war. The spokesman for the Kremlin rejected the allegation on Wednesday that Chinese citizens were captured in Ukraine. Beijing said on Wednesday that it would currently "check" the situation.

financing of recruitment and motivation

One of the captured Chinese citizens who fought in the east of Ukraine paid through an intermediary in China to join the Russian army with the aim of becoming Russian citizens, the Ukrainian military reported. The Chinese prisoner, who, according to the Ukrainian authorities, was taken as a prisoner of war together with another Chinese citizen on Tuesday, probably spoke under pressure.

Details for recruitment

"According to the prisoner, he joined the Russian armed forces about a mediator in China and paid RUB 300,000 (approx. 3,500 USD) for the opportunity to register in the Russian armed forces," said the communication department of the Luhansk operational tactical group in a statement to the Ukrainian media. "His main motivation was the desire to become a soldier and to achieve the citizenship of the Russian Federation. He also mentioned that some group members had legal problems in China," said the message.

training and cooperation with the investigation

"He reported that he was trained in the temporarily occupied area of the Luhansk Oblast as part of a group of Chinese citizens. The training comprised fundamental military skills and was carried out without interpreters, with gestures and a mobile translator used for communication." The Ukrainian military tactical group noted that the man was captured when a Russian attack group capitulated under the fire of Ukrainian soldiers.

cooperation with Ukrainian authorities

"The individual is currently working with the Ukrainian investigative authorities, and his identity and nationality have been confirmed. He mentioned that his family was informed about his intentions to travel to Russia, even though he officially traveled as a tourist," said the Ukrainska Pravda.