China Acknowledges Prisoners Are Its Citizens, Decision Pending

The Chinese government has denied any involvement of its citizens in the war between Russia and Ukraine and promises to assess their actions under national law after verifying all the circumstances.

This is stated in the response from Lin Jian, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, to a request from Ukrinform.

The matter concerns two Chinese prisoners of war in the Donetsk region who fought on Russia’s side.

“The position of the Chinese government is very clear. We have issued numerous warnings and asked Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones, avoid participating in armed conflicts in any form, and refrain from taking part in military operations of any side,” Lin stated.

According to him, Chinese government agencies are still verifying information about the Chinese prisoners in the war in Ukraine and clarifying all circumstances related to this situation.

“The Chinese side will assess the behavior of individual Chinese citizens abroad in accordance with the current legislation, and necessary consular and other actions will be taken,” the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China assured.

He added that China’s position on the ‘Ukrainian crisis’ (as it is referred to in China – Ed.) is consistent and clear and focused on promoting peaceful negotiations to end the conflict.

“We ask all relevant parties to properly understand China’s objective and fair position and refrain from political manipulation or using this situation (with the Chinese prisoners in Ukraine – Ed.) for self-promotion or publicity,” the diplomat stated.

It is worth noting that recently, the Ukrainian Defense Forces captured two citizens of the People’s Republic of China who had fought on the side of the Russian invasion army.

The mercenaries were captured during combat in the Donetsk region. Documents, bank cards, and other personal data were found on them.

According to information provided by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, over 150 citizens of the People’s Republic of China are currently fighting on the side of the Russian Federation.

In Russia, at least 51 Chinese citizens have been identified who were recruited to fight against Ukraine in 2023-2024 through a conscription office in Moscow.