Politics

Chinese Soldiers Quietly Creep Into Ukraine War

By Brendan Cole
Senior News Reporter
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Video interrogations of two soldiers explaining how they ended up fighting for Russia's forces have raised questions about whether the war started by Russian President Vladimir Putin was now drawing in troops from another country.

Months after Ukraine said North Korea had sent thousands of soldiers to fight in Russia's Kursk region, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released footage he said showed Chinese troops were also fighting for Moscow.

Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Chinese Foreign Ministries for comment.

Why It Matters
Although officially neutral on the war, China has provided strong diplomatic support for Russia since Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and it has sold dual-use machinery and microelectronics that can be used to make weapons.

It is unclear whether the captured Chinese citizens were soldiers of fortune or signal a more direct involvement by Beijing in the war, raising concerns about escalation.

Russian soldier recruitment ad
A woman walking past a poster promoting contract army service in western Moscow on April 9. ALEXANDER NEMENOV/Getty Images
What To Know
On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko dismissed Kyiv's claim as a "complete lie," and China's Foreign Ministry has insisted the country did not send military personnel to fight in the conflict.

Ukrainian military veteran Viktor Kovalenko told Newsweek that while the capture of Chinese nationals was significant, it was not definitive evidence of a more direct involvement by Beijing in the war. But it showed that Moscow was happy to draw on soldiers from anywhere.

Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had come across a group of six Chinese fighters in recent attacks and captured two on April 8 in the Donetsk region. Identity documents and bank cards were among the evidence of the pair's nationality.

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Kyiv said one was in the 2nd Battalion of Russia's 157th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the other was in the 1st Battalion of the 81st Motorized Rifle Brigade.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a Chinese diplomat to explain, and the U.S. Department of State said the Chinese nationals' involvement was "disturbing."

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council called the captured fighters "mercenaries" and Kyiv believed more than 150 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia, having responded to recruitment ads on social media such as TikTok.

Ukrainian servicemen
Ukrainian service members from the 24th Mechanized Brigade in the Donetsk region on February 16. GENYA SAVILOV/Getty Images
That figure is far below the estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent by Pyongyang, according to Kyiv.

Two U.S. officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official told Reuters that the Chinese citizens were mercenaries who did not have any links to the government.

However, Chinese military officers have been in the theater behind Russia's lines with Beijing's approval to draw tactical lessons from the war.

Kovalenko, who is also an analyst behind the Ukraine Decoded Substack, said that even if there were 150 Chinese citizens fighting for Russia, the figure was not comparable with the thousands of North Koreans involved in the war.

However, Ukraine's announcement could be a message to Beijing. "There is little hope that Ukrainian government attempts to shame and influence China would change Beijing's policy of helping Putin," Kovalenko said.

"All previous revelations of Chinese supplies of vehicles, machinery, and dual-purpose goods, including electronic components, didn't change Beijing's stance," he added.

Attracted by the Money?
The involvement of Chinese citizens is sensitive because Beijing is officially neutral in the conflict despite its diplomatic and economic support for Moscow.

One video released by Kyiv shows the men in front of a Ukrainian flag being asked, through a translator, about what happened before their capture.

One soldier said he went to Russia in December 2024 as a tourist and responded to a recruitment ad that promised a payment of 2 million rubles (almost $24,000).

French newspaper Le Monde reported that many mercenaries entered Russia as mere tourists before heading to Russian army recruitment offices and signing renewable one-year contracts.

Indian authorities said last year that Russian entities were managing a human trafficking network that lured Indian citizens to Russia under false pretenses and then coerced them into signing military contracts.

What People Are Saying
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Russian state-owned news agency Tass: "This is a complete lie, to put it mildly. China takes a very balanced, balanced and verified position on the settlement in Ukraine, and we are grateful to our friends for this."

China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "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."

Ukrainian military veteran and analyst Viktor Kovalenko told Newsweek: "We have already seen other foreign mercenaries captured and/or killed on the front—both sides recruit them."

What Happens Next
The Institute for the Study of War has said there are reports of Russian entities recruiting vulnerable migrant workers from many countries, and this is likely to continue. Reports show that mercenaries have been recruited from India, Nepal and countries in Africa.

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