More than 150 Chinese soldiers fighting in Ukraine ‘recruited on social media’

Russia is allegedly using social media to recruit Chinese soldiers to fight in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed.

Two Chinese nationals fighting for Vladimir Putin’s Russian army were captured in Ukraine earlier this week.

Now Ukraine claims to have passport data for 155 of them fighting within its borders.

‘These are Chinese citizens, they are fighting against us, using weapons against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine’, Zelensky said.

It unsurprisingly turned some heads. Around 12,000 North Korean troops have already been sent to the front to bolster Putin’s forces within Russia.

Dozens of Indian and Nepali men have been forced to join the fight after travelling to Russia as tourists or for work.

But China has tried to portray itself as neutral in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While fellow ally Iran has sent drones and missiles, China has sent ingredients essential for manufacturing weapons.

These latest claims by Ukrainian intelligence suggest something new, or at least – until now – unknown. Could China be sending troops to Ukraine?

China denies it. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: ‘The Chinese government always asks Chinese citizens to stay away from conflict zones, avoid getting involved in any form of armed conflict, and especially refrain from participating in any party’s military operations.’

Instead, the troops seem to be mercenaries recruited through social media.

One captured soldier said he paid £2,300 to a middleman in China to join. He claimed to be offered Russian citizenship in return.

‘Beijing knows about this’, Zelensky said. ‘Russians distribute advertising videos about recruitment through Chinese social networks.’

For Ukraine, this casts doubt on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim to want peace, despite US President Donald Trump’s special envoy claiming a ceasefire is close.

Last week, Russian missiles killed four people and wounded 17, including a six-year-old girl and a boy, aged eight, in Zelensky’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih.

Zelensky said: ‘All of the dead are civilians. My condolences to their families and loved ones. Everywhere in the world, such strikes are called the same: this is terror.’

Foreign fighters are a feature on both sides of this war. Among them were James Wilton, 18 and from West Yorkshire, 22-year-old Callum Tindal-Draper from Cornwall, and Peter Fouché from West London, who died fighting last year.

Some are motivated by politics. Irish man Finbarr Cafferkey, who died fighting with Ukraine’s foreign legion in Bakhmut in 2023, was involved with an anarchist group in the country.

The 45-year-old had previously fought with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State in Syria.

Others are motivated by money. Russia’s Wagner group offered salaries from £2,000 to £8,000 per month at one point.

Ukraine also saw an influx of volunteers from Latin America amid economic turmoil in countries like Colombia.

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