Row Erupts As Ukraine Claims Chinese Citizens Are Fighting In Putin's War

An international row has erupted after Ukraine claimed it captured two Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russia on the frontline.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video of one of two soldiers he said were captured in the eastern Donetsk region, in Ukraine, on Tuesday.

Apparently Ukrainian troops clashed with six Chinese soldiers in total.

Although his team are “currently verifying all the facts”, Zelenskyy said they believe that “many more” Chinese citizens are working with Vladimir Putin’s forces.

He also accused China of being involved “directly or indirectly” with the conflict.

China and Russia are close allies but Beijing has largely stayed out of the Ukraine war until now.

Zelenskyy 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 added that Putin “is looking for ways to continue fighting”.

Russia previously recruited 12,000 soldiers from North Korea to help it in its war against Ukraine.

They only fought in the battles on Russian land – after Ukraine’s surprise 2024 incursion into Kursk, which Russia has now recaptured – but Ukrainian forces still captured two of North Korean troops in January.

Zelenskyy said the discovery of the Chinese soldiers was significant.

He said: “There is a difference: North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk direction, while the Chinese are fighting on Ukrainian territory. I think this is an important issue that we need to discuss with our partners.”

He also urged for a united response from allies to the involvement of Chinese troops, and said Ukraine has summoned China’s foreign affairs minister to respond.

In a statement on social media, Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said: “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.”

China said it is working on verifying the allegation, saying the government “always asks” citizens not to participate in armed conflicts.

Its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian also noted that the claims there were “many more” troops fighting for Russia was “totally unfounded”.

“Let me stress that the Chinese government always asks Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict, avoid any form of involvement in armed conflict, and in particular avoid participation in any party’s military operations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to contribute to the row.

He said: “I cannot comment on this information in any way.” 

Moscow also refused to ever respond to reports that North Korean troops were fighting on Putin’s behalf.

The move comes as Donald Trump continues to push for a rapid end to the war – even if it means resolving it on terms set by Putin, who initiated the conflict with his all-out 2022 invasion.

The US’s state department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, then called reports of Chinese troops in Ukraine “disturbing”, 

She did not say if the White House has been able to verify the claims, but added: “China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine.

“China provides nearly 80% of the dual-use items that Russia needs to sustain the war.