Ukraine captures Chinese nationals fighting for Russia, says Zelensky
In a statement on social media platform X, Zelensky said the soldiers were captured in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region with identification documents, including bank cards which had "personal data" on them.Ukraine's forces fought six Chinese soldiers and took two of them prisoner, he said.The post was accompanied by a video showing one of the alleged Chinese captives in handcuffs, speaking Mandarin Chinese and apparently describing a recent battle."We have information suggesting that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units than just these two," he said."Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war," he said.Zelensky called for a response "from the United States, Europe, and all those around the world who want peace".An investigation is under way and the captives are currently in the custody of Ukraine's security service, he added.Ukraine's foreign minister said that he had summoned China's charge d'affaires in Kyiv to "demand an explanation".Writing on X, Andrii Sybiha said: "We strongly condemn Russia's involvement of Chinese citizens in its war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as their participation in combat against Ukrainian forces."He added: "Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council."French newspaper Le Monde has previously reported that it identified around 40 accounts on TikTok's sister app, Douyin - which is only available in China - belonging to Chinese individuals who claim to have signed up with the Russian army.North Korea has sent thousands of troops to aid Russia's war effort against Ukraine, according to Kyiv and Western officials. One of Russia's chief advantages in the war is numbers. There have been reports of Moscow using "meat grinder" tactics to throw huge numbers of soldiers at the front lines and incrementally improve their position.Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's territory, mostly in the east.
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