China Fighting Chinese - Kiev intensifies accusations against Beijing
Following the capture of two Chinese men fighting on the Russian side in Ukraine, Kiev has stepped up its accusations against Beijing. These are not isolated cases, emphasized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening video message. "We also have information about other Chinese citizens in the Russian army with names and battle names as well as descriptions of the specific way in which these soldiers joined the Russian occupation contingent." In a press conference shortly beforehand, Selensky had stated that the number of Chinese in the Russian army was at least 155.
09.04.2025, 21:05
SDA
Kiev now has all the information on these 155 people, including passport details, said Zelensky. Russia is recruiting these men via social networks, such as Tiktok, and Beijing knows about it. Ukraine would only release the two Chinese prisoners, who are now being questioned in Kiev, in exchange for its own prisoners of war, he said at the press conference.
In his video message, Selensky pointed out that the Chinese fighting on the Russian side contradicted Beijing's official position. China had always warned against an escalation of the war. However, the involvement of Chinese fighters represented precisely such an escalation. A tough response was therefore necessary. "Reinforcing the occupation contingent - and talking about peace - are two mutually exclusive things," said Selenskyj.
China, which is officially neutral, had previously rejected the accusation that its own citizens were involved in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These were unfounded allegations. The Chinese government has always called on its citizens to stay away from areas of military conflict.
