Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese citizens fighting on Russia’s behalf.
Zelenskyy posted an announcement on Telegram Tuesday with a video that appears to show one of the two Chinese citizens detained by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region, who reportedly had personal documents identifying their origin. The president instructed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to reach out to the Chinese government regarding the incident.
The apparent incident marks the first time Chinese nationals have been spotted on the frontlines of the war. It is unclear whether or not the citizens are Chinese military personnel.
“We have information that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just two. We are now finding out all the facts,” Zelenskyy said in the post, according to CNN’s translation from Ukrainian. “I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to react to this.”
North Korea is the only known East Asian country to send soldiers to Russia’s aid, most recently deploying 1,000 to 3,000 troops to the front between January and February. They also sent 1,500 special forces soldiers and 10,000 regular troops in November 2024.
China and Russia have long been allies against the Western world, but President Donald Trump has expressed an interest in splitting the long-time alliance.
“As a student of history, which I am — and I’ve watched it all — the first thing you learn is you don’t want Russia and China to get together,” Trump said in a Fox News interview March 18.
Ukraine and Russia continue to suffer from mounting casualties, manpower shortages and declining morale.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Ministry of Defense and Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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