Two Suspected Chinese Citizens Arrested In War For Russia, President Zelensky Asks For Clarification

President Zelensky. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday said it was conducting an investigation and asked Beijing for clarification after two suspected Chinese nationals were caught at war for Russia.

In his post on President Zelensky's social media, he wrote, his party had arrested two Chinese nationals who fought on the Russian army. The arrests were made in Donetsk.

Together with the arrest, identity documents, bank cards and personal data were also secured for their ownership.

"We have information showing that there are more Chinese nationals in the colonial unit apart from these two people. We are currently verifying all the facts of the intelligence, the Ukrainian Security Service, and related Armed Forces units working on it," President Zelensky tweeted on social media X as quoted April 9.

"I have instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to immediately contact Beijing and clarify how China will respond to this," he continued.

President Zelensky continued, Russia's involvement in China, together with other countries, either directly or indirectly, in the war in Europe is a clear signal, Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to do anything except ending the war.

According to him, this needs to be responded to by the United States, Europe, and all parties around the world who want peace.

"Chinese citizens who were arrested are now under the custody of the Ukrainian Security Service," he said.

"Relevant investigative and operational actions are ongoing," President Zelensky added.

Our military has captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army. This happened on Ukrainian territory—in the Donetsk region. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their possession.

We have information suggesting that… pic.twitter.com/ekBr6hCkQL

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 8, 2025

Our military has captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army. This happened on Ukraine territorial in the Donetsk region. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their position.

We have information matching that... pic.twitter.com/ekBr6hCkQL

Beijing is a close diplomatic ally of Moscow, but it is not publicly known to have directly helped in the full-scale invasion of the Kremlin, which US President Donald Trump wants to end soon.

Writing on social media, Andriy Kovalenko, a member of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, called the fighters arrested as mercenaries but gave no other details.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment on what would be the first publicly announced case of Chinese nationals arrested while fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.

It is known that Russia has used Iranian drones as well as North Korean artillery missiles and shells since the February 2022 invasion.

Kyiv also said Pyongyang forces had been deployed to counter Ukrainian troops in parts of Russia's western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a lightning strike last summer.

"But there is a difference: North Korea fought on the front lines of Kursk against us," President Zelensky said at a joint briefing in Kyiv on Tuesday with Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever, adding "Chinese people are fighting in Ukrainian territory."

Separately, Russia has not publicly commented on President Zelensky's claims about the alleged Chinese army, nor has it explicitly confirmed the use of North Korean troops in the Kursk region.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said reports of alleged Chinese nationals arrested in Ukraine were very disturbing, but did not say whether Washington had verified the claim.

The supply of China's multipurpose goods to Russia made it a major supporter of Russia's war efforts, Bruce told reporters, adding cooperation between Moscow and Beijing contributed to global instability.

It is known that US and Russian officials in recent weeks have been involved in bilateral talks, drawing criticism from Ukraine for the peaceful attitude of President Trump's administration towards the Kremlin.

"I think the US needs to pay more attention to what happened today," President Zelensky said, adding Ukrainian troops had been involved with a total of six Chinese fighters.

"We really hope that after this situation, America will talk more to Ukraine, and then to Russia," he said.

In a separate statement, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv had summoned Chinese Business Authority in Ukraine "to condemn this fact and demand explanation".