President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukrainian intelligence has information about 155 Chinese nationals fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine, and that the real number is likely to be much higher.
Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens via social media and that Chinese officials were aware of the efforts. He added that Ukraine was trying to assess whether the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.
“The ‘Chinese’ issue is serious. There are 155 people, with names and passport details, who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. “We believe that there are many more of them.”
Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian military had captured two Chinese men fighting alongside the Russian army on Ukrainian soil. It was the first time Ukraine had made such a claim about Chinese fighters in the war.
On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he was willing to exchange the two prisoners of war for Ukrainian soldiers held captive in Russia.
