SSU Interrogates Captured Chinese Nationals: Russians Have Recruiters in China

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) investigators interrogated citizens of the People’s Republic of China who participated in combat operations on the side of the Russian invasion army.

The SSU reported this on its official social media.

The foreigners are already providing testimony about the circumstances of their involvement in the war, including how they ended up in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces and what tasks they performed on Ukrainian territory.

According to the SSU, one of the mercenaries was captured by soldiers of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade near the settlement of Tarasivka.

Soldiers of the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 81st Airmobile Brigade captured another one near Bilohorivka.

The prisoners of war have no injuries but are receiving proper medical care in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. They were transported to Kyiv for further investigative actions.

The detention of foreigners is taking place in conditions that comply with international humanitarian law. Interrogations are being conducted with the involvement of translators.

According to both prisoners of war, they were captured by Ukrainian defenders during their first combat sortie.

One of them, an unemployed citizen of the PRC, born in 1991, stated that a Russian representative recruited him directly in China. In February 2025, he arrived in Moscow and signed a service contract.

Another POW, born in 1998, arrived in Russia in December 2024, supposedly as a tourist. According to him, once in Russia, he applied to sign a contract after responding to an online advertisement about military recruitment and the promised reward of RUB 2 million.

Currently, the SSU is verifying their testimonies and conducting necessary investigative actions to establish all the circumstances of the Chinese citizens’ involvement in the war against Ukraine on the side of the aggressor country.

According to information provided by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than 150 citizens of China are currently fighting on the side of Russia.

U.S. Reaction

In the U.S., the potential involvement of Chinese citizens in the Ukrainian conflict has raised concerns.

“China continues to be a crucial source of support for Russia in its war against Ukraine,” State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated during a briefing.

She also highlighted that China supplies Russia with approximately 80% of dual-use goods that are being used in the war effort.

China’s Reaction

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, stated that Beijing has not deployed its military personnel to participate in combat in Ukraine. He made this remark during a briefing in response to a question from a Ukrainian journalist.

Lin added that the Chinese government is currently looking into the claims made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regarding the capture of Chinese citizens in Donetsk, who were allegedly fighting alongside Russian invasion forces.

“The Chinese government has always demanded that its citizens stay away from the armed conflict zone [in Ukraine], avoid involvement in any form, including refraining from participating in military operations of either side,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman emphasized.