Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian soldiers had captured two Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces, adding that Kyiv would demand an explanation from Beijing and a reaction from its allies.
Moscow and Beijing have in recent years boasted of their “no limits” partnership and deepened political, military and economic cooperation since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine – in the Donetsk region,” Zelenskyy said in a post on social media on Tuesday.
“We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards, and personal data,” Zelenskyy said in a post that included a video of one of the alleged Chinese prisoners.
Our military has captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army. This happened on Ukrainian territory—in the Donetsk region. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their possession.
We have information suggesting that… pic.twitter.com/ekBr6hCkQL
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 8, 2025
There was no immediate response to the claims from either Moscow or Beijing, but Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha 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,” Sybiha 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 Beijing a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s invasion, which it has never condemned.
‘A reaction’ from allies
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war since taking office in January. But his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough despite rounds of negotiations.
Kyiv has repeatedly urged Beijing to pressure Moscow to end its invasion, which has cost tens of thousands of lives and yet has still so far failed to see the Kremlin achieve its core objectives.
Zelenskyy 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 the involvement of China in the conflict were “a clear signal that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is going to do anything but end the war”.
Zelenskyy also demanded “a reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace” in his online post.
“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.
The Ukrainian military has been struggling to hold ground after launching an offensive on the border region last year, although Zelenskyy said for the first time on Monday that Ukrainian troops had been operating in Russia’s Belgorod region.
“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,” Zelenskyy added in the press conference.
Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Kyiv, said: “You can see the map moving. From the east, Russia continues to push further and further, taking town and village one by one.”
While Ukrainians will say that is indeed happening, they also say that “the fight is not over yet”, Basravi added.
Kyiv, which dispatched its then-Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to China last year, has been seeking to deepen ties with Beijing, and Zelenskyy this week appointed a new ambassador to China.