Screenshot from a video posted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
A Chinese soldier captured by Ukraine while fighting for Russia said that 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, Ukrainian news outlet Ukrainska Pravda reported on Wednesday.
The unnamed soldier was captured by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) along with two Russians near Bilohorivka, a settlement in the Luhansk region where fighting is ongoing, the AFU-controlled Luhansk Operational Tactical Group told the outlet, adding that the soldier’s identity and nationality had been confirmed and that he was cooperating with Ukrainian investigators.
The soldier also said he was part of “a group of Chinese nationals”, some of whom faced legal issues in China. The Chinese nationals in his group received training in the Russian-occupied part of the Luhansk region before being sent to the front, the soldier continued, adding that many of his comrades were killed or wounded there due to the language barrier, which eventually forced him to surrender.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese nationals, and suggested there were “many more Chinese citizens” fighting for Russia, demanding an explanation from Beijing as to how they had joined Russia’s ranks.
Responding to Zelensky’s claim on Wednesday, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, denied that Beijing had provided troops to fight in Ukraine, stressing that Beijing always urges Chinese nationals to avoid “any form of involvement” in foreign conflicts.
