By Heraldviews
Ukrainian troops have captured
two Chinese nationals who were fighting alongside Russian forces, President
Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday, raising questions about Beijing’s role in
the ongoing war and its professed neutrality.
Speaking at a press conference
in Kyiv alongside Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever, Mr. Zelensky said the
men were detained during a clash with a group of six Chinese soldiers near the
villages of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. The
incident marks the first known case of Chinese citizens directly participating
in combat on Ukrainian soil.
“We have information that there
are many more such Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units,” Mr. Zelensky
said. “We have the documents of these prisoners — bank cards, personal data.”
The two captured men are being
held by Ukraine’s Security Service, according to the president. He said he had
instructed Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to urgently contact officials in
Beijing for an explanation.
Shortly afterward, Mr. Sybiha
announced that Ukraine had summoned China’s chargé d’affaires to deliver a
formal condemnation and demand clarification.
“Chinese citizens fighting as
part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine calls into question China’s declared
stance for peace,” Mr. Sybiha wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “It
undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the U.N.
Security Council.”
Mr. Zelensky’s remarks come
amid growing scrutiny of China’s support for Russia. While Beijing has not
provided direct military aid, it has deepened trade ties with Moscow and has
become Russia’s primary supplier of dual-use technology used in weapons
production.
“There must be a response to
this — from the United States, from Europe, from everyone who wants peace,” Mr.
Zelensky said. He added that China now joins Iran and North Korea among the countries
backing Russia’s military campaign.
“But there is a difference,” he
said. “The North Koreans fought against us in the Kursk direction; the Chinese
are fighting on the territory of Ukraine.”
Last fall, Ukrainian
intelligence reported the deployment of as many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers
to Russia’s Kursk region to reinforce the front line following a cross-border
Ukrainian incursion. Ukrainian forces had briefly recaptured approximately
1,300 square kilometers before being pushed back by a Russian counteroffensive
bolstered by North Korean units. The town of Sudzha was among the areas
retaken.
Mr. Zelensky said North Korean
losses have been severe, with an estimated 4,000 casualties, two-thirds of them
killed. In response, Pyongyang reportedly dispatched another 3,000 soldiers to
Russia in January and February to replace the fallen.
The apparent presence of
Chinese nationals on the battlefield adds a new and troubling dimension to an
already internationalized conflict. While Beijing has positioned itself as a
potential peace broker in Ukraine, its growing alignment with Moscow —
including the provision of components that feed Russia’s military-industrial
base has drawn increasing criticism from Western governments.
As of Monday evening, Chinese
officials had not issued a public response to Kyiv’s claims.
Additional
report from Agency
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