Ukrainian forces allegedly took two Chinese nationals as prisoners of war who were fighting for the Russian army, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

While Zelensky said they had recovered “identification documents, bank cards, and personal data” on the two Chinese nationals, it’s still unclear whether these individuals volunteered or if the Chinese military deployed troops to Russia.

Recommended Stories

• Trump says Houthis ‘badly damaged,’ Iran denies talks are direct, Hegseth in Panama, another ‘woke’ admiral fired 
• Trump says 'direct' talks with Iran to begin this weekend
• Pete Hegseth to travel to Panama as pressure ramps up over canal control

“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,” the Ukrainian leader said. “We have information suggesting that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just these two. We are currently verifying all the facts — intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the relevant units of the Armed Forces are working on it.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the ministry “summoned China’s chargé d’affaires in Ukraine to the Foreign Ministry to condemn this fact and demand an explanation.”

There has been no reporting that China provided Russia with troops for battle, though Beijing has aided Moscow’s defense industrial base.

Russia has been forced to seek assistance from other anti-western countries as the war dragged on much longer than expected.

North Korea has provided Russia with more than 10,000 soldiers, in addition to large shipments of artillery shells and munitions, according to U.S. officials. Iran has also provided Russia with hundreds of one-way attack drones and assisted the country in building its own factory so it can produce them domestically.

“Russia’s war in Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year, has revealed Russia to be a chronic threat, and in the coming years, it’s going to be a growing threat, one that is willing to use military force to achieve geopolitical goals and is actively waging a campaign of destabilization across Europe and beyond,” Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the commander of U.S. European Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday.

“Further exacerbating this Russian threat are the deepening partnerships among our adversaries in Russia, Iran, the Chinese Communist Party, and the [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]. These linkages increasingly pose a global risk,” he told the House Armed Services Committee.

US BOOSTS IRAN STRIKE OPTIONS WITH AIRCRAFT CARRIER AND BOMBER DEPLOYMENTS

The Trump administration is seeking to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, though it has little success to show for its efforts thus far. U.S. officials have restarted diplomatic conversations with their Russian counterparts, which the Biden administration had paused, in addition to continuing relations with Ukrainian officials.

The administration has also sought to posture more toward a conflict in the Indo-Pacific and move away from Europe, forcing the continent to become more self-reliant for its defense.