"Fen" couldn't say whether it was the need for money or wanderlust that led him to go and fight alongside the Russians in Ukraine. In any case, there was nothing political about his decision. "It was just about going somewhere," he said, sitting in the corner of a tea house in a big Chinese city. The 37-year-old man, with short hair, preferred to go by the nickname the Russians had given him: "Fen." At the start of July 2023, Fen boarded a flight to Beijing, and then another to Moscow, having set out to enlist with foreign mercenaries fighting for the Russian forces in Ukraine – a war which, he said, he was indifferent to the reasons behind. Now back home, he works as a building caretaker.

On social media platforms, particularly Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, Le Monde has identified around 40 accounts belonging to Chinese individuals who, backed by photo evidence, claim to have signed up with the Russian forces. Fen only met seven of his compatriots on the front lines, but estimated that a few hundred may have joined the fighting.

All of them left on their own initiative, arriving as tourists. However, their mere presence could embarrass China, which has claimed to be neutral. Indeed, Western nations have criticized China's diplomatic and commercial ties with Moscow, whose arms industry depends on many Chinese components. When questioned, the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry said it had no information on the matter.

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