One of two Chinese nationals captured fighting for Russia on Ukrainian territory during his questioning in Kyiv, Ukraine, 9 April 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/Security Service of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of recruiting Chinese citizens to serve in its military via TikTok and other social media on Wednesday, alleging that there were at least 155 Chinese nationals currently fighting with the Russian military in Ukraine.
“The ‘Chinese’ issue is serious. There are 155 people with surnames, with passport data — 155 Chinese citizens who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine”, Zelensky told reporters on Wednesday, adding that there were likely to be “many more”.
According to Zelensky, after being recruited through “non-secret” advertising campaigns on TikTok and other Chinese social networks, the Chinese nationals travel to Moscow, where they undergo medical examinations and combat training and are issued with Russian migration documents and bank cards before being deployed to Ukraine.
The disclosure came a day after Zelensky revealed that Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese citizens fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine in what he called a “clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war”.
Responding to those claims, Beijing denied providing troops to fight in Ukraine, stressing that it always advised Chinese nationals to avoid “any form of involvement” in foreign conflicts.
On Thursday, however, Zelensky said that “official Beijing knows” about its citizens fighting in Ukraine and that Kyiv would “use diplomatic channels to convey the necessary information” to China.
“Reinforcing the occupation contingent while speaking of peace are mutually exclusive things”, Zelensky said, referring to China’s official positioning of itself as a neutral party in the war and advocacy for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict.
Zelensky also posted footage of the two captured Chinese soldiers being questioned by Ukrainian security service investigators. One of the men, identified in his passport as Zhang Renbo, said that he had never held a weapon prior to enlisting to fight for Russia.
“Such blatant involvement of Chinese citizens in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine during the war of aggression is a deliberate step towards the expansion of the war, and is yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting”, Zelensky charged.
On Wednesday, an unnamed Chinese soldier captured fighting for Russia in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region said he had paid 300,000 rubles (€3,100) to an intermediary in China who helped him enlist in the Russian military in the hope of receiving Russian citizenship.