Camilla Jessen
Two Chinese nationals captured on Ukrainian soil claim they were misled into joining Russia’s military.
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Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has released footage of the first interrogations of two Chinese nationals captured while fighting for Russia.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the men were taken prisoner during their first combat missions—neither had previous military experience.
Both claimed they had been drawn into the war by online promises of money and legal residency.
The announcement, made public in a SSU press release on April 9, follows Kyiv’s confirmation a day earlier that the two Chinese citizens had been detained in separate regions near active frontlines.
One served in the 2nd Battalion of Russia’s 157th Motorized Rifle Brigade and was captured near Tarasivka; the other fought in the 1st Battalion of the 81st Motorized Rifle Brigade and was captured near Bilohorivka.
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The first captured man, identified as 34-year-old Wang Guangjun from Henan Province, described being recruited by a Russian middleman in China.
He arrived in Moscow in February 2025 and signed a military contract.
In the interrogation video shared by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Wang explained that he surrendered alongside two others—one of whom was a lost Russian soldier.
After their surrender, he claimed Russian forces dropped an explosive loaded with gas on them, nearly killing him. A Ukrainian soldier reportedly pulled him from the shelter and saved his life.
The second man, 26-year-old Zhang Renbo from Jiangxi Province, said he had entered Russia in December 2024 as a tourist. After spotting an online recruitment ad promising 2 million rubles (about $23,300), he signed up to fight.
It was my first deployment, my first combat mission,” he said in the video. “Before I got there, I had never held a weapon.
Ukraine Holds China to Account
The SBU stated that both prisoners are being treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and are receiving necessary medical care. Neither sustained combat injuries.
In response to their capture, President Zelenskyy instructed Ukraine’s Foreign Minister to summon China’s chargé d’affaires and demand an official explanation.
Russia doesn’t care who dies in this insane war,” Zelenskyy posted on X. “They only need the war to continue.
Beijing has responded cautiously, saying it is “verifying” the claims and reiterating that Chinese nationals are legally forbidden from joining foreign armed conflicts.
Rising Pattern of Foreign Fighters
The captured men are not isolated cases.
Ukrainian intelligence reports suggest that at least 163 Chinese citizens are currently serving in Russia’s armed forces.
The methods used to recruit them—through Chinese-language social media ads and offers of citizenship and high pay—reflect a broader Russian strategy to supplement its military with foreign volunteers.
Unlike North Korean troops, who have been deployed to Russian territory (notably in Kursk Oblast), the Chinese nationals were captured inside Ukraine—raising concerns of growing international entanglement in the conflict.
Ukraine estimates 12,000 North Korean troops were sent to bolster Russian lines in 2024, with at least 4,000 reported casualties and two North Korean soldiers taken captive earlier this year.
Ukraine sees this trend as a deliberate Russian strategy to prolong the war while minimizing domestic political risk.
Zelenskyy has called on the international community to respond decisively:
We all need… to deprive Russia of the ability to continue the war, including through the use of people like these.