Ukraine captures Chinese citizens who fought with Russian army, Zelenskyy says

The Ukrainian military has captured two Chinese citizens whom it said fought with the Russian army, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.

The Chinese nationals were captured in the eastern Donetsk region and were being held by Ukraine’s security service, Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram, without providing evidence. He added that intelligence indicated that there were “significantly more Chinese citizens in the units of the occupier than two.”

If the identities of the captured individuals is confirmed, it may suggest that a third nation, after North Korea, has begun sending military personnel to aid the Kremlin’s effort in its three-year-long invasion of Ukraine.

That, at a time when the United States — Ukraine’s largest military backer — is attempting to broker peace between Kyiv and Moscow and wind down its financial involvement in the war while also escalating an increasingly vicious trade war with Beijing.

Neither the Chinese embassy in Washington nor the Kremlin immediately responded to requests for comment.

Zelenskyy said he had instructed Ukraine’s foreign affairs ministry to immediately contact Beijing and find out “how China is going to react to this.”

The Ukrainian leader suggested the incident was a “clear signal that Putin is going to do anything, except end the war,” as efforts to negotiate a ceasefire deal in Ukraine continue.

“He is looking for a way to continue fighting,” Zelenskyy said. “This definitely requires a reaction — a reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace.”

It comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent close ally Kirill Dmitriev to Washington this month for diplomatic talks. Dmitriev is the most senior Kremlin official to visit since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.