Chinese fight for Russia as mercenaries, not connected to Chinese government - Reuters
Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia are mercenaries (Photo: Getty Images)
Over 100 Chinese nationals are fighting on the side of Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to Reuters.
According to two US officials and a former Western intelligence officer, these Chinese fighters are mercenaries with no direct ties to the Chinese government. The former official further clarified that around 200 Chinese mercenaries are fighting for Russia.
Meanwhile, Chinese military officers, with Beijing’s approval, have been present in the rear of Russian forces to gain tactical lessons from the conflict.
Ukraine has captured Chinese citizens fighting on Russia's side
Recently, it was reported that Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals as prisoners of war in one of the directions in the Donetsk region. Soon after, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video with the prisoners.
In the interrogation footage of one of the Chinese citizens, he was asked who recruited him and how they communicated with the commander. The response was as follows:
"The commander was Russian. He simply told us what to do. We just followed his orders. Whatever he did, we did the same," said the captured Chinese man.
Zelenskyy recently stated that Russians recruit Chinese nationals through TikTok. He also mentioned that Ukraine is ready to exchange prisoners, but only in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia.
Additionally, we reported that, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of Ukraine’s President's Office, the involvement of Chinese fighters in the Russian military could have serious consequences for China. He explained that this could result in Beijing losing its most important markets.
