Are Chinese Soldiers Fighting In Ukraine?
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/are-chinese-soldiers-fighting-in-ukraine/
If Chinese soldiers are fighting in the Russian armed forces in Ukraine, that is not the big story. The big story is the effect the claim could have on the possibility of peace.
Ukraine has not yet even proven the months old claim of the presence of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia on Russian soil. Now they are making the much more provocative claim that Chinese soldiers are fighting for Russia on Ukrainian soil.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/europe/ukraine-chinese-nationals-russia-intl-latam/index.html
that Ukrainian intelligence has uncovered 155 Chinese citizens who are "fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine" and that they "believe that there are many more of them."
Independent journalists and organizations have not had access to the two prisoners in order to verify the truth of the claim. Ukraine has provided a video and documents listing names and passport documents. Media outlets have seen them, but CNN and The Independent both say that they have not been independently verified.
There are tens and perhaps even hundreds of thousands of ethnic Chinese living in Russia. And even if the captured soldiers are from China, that does not mean they were sent by China. They could have enlisted on their own as mercenaries, a possibility that two former U.S. intelligence officers “with knowledge of the issue” https://www.reuters.com/world/chinese-nationals-fighting-russia-ukraine-are-mercenaries-us-officials-2025-04-11/
U.S. intelligence believes to be the case.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has https://www.independent.co.uk/news/ukraine-beijing-russia-chinese-moscow-b2730100.html
the claim that many Chinese citizens are fighting in the Russian army "totally unfounded," and said that "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."
Zelensky, though, has made the provocative claim that the Chinese government is allowing its citizens to fight in Ukraine. Asked whether China had a policy of sending soldiers to Ukraine, Zelensky https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/09/europe/ukraine-chinese-nationals-russia-intl-latam/index.html
.
Zelensky then escalated the claim, https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1062668.html
on "the U.S. and the rest of the world for a response."
It is that threat to the peace process and not the possible presence of Chinese soldiers that is serious and significant. Mercenaries from many countries have been welcomed by both Ukraine and Russia since the beginning of the war. Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/9/chinese-soldiers-in-ukraine-is-beijing-sending-troops-to-back-russia
to have fought there.
The Russian Defense Ministry https://www.rt.com/russia/594276-ukraine-foreign-mercenaries-killed/
their international legion comprises around 20,000 fighters from fifty countries.
More seriously, it is not just mercenaries who have arrived in Ukraine. A leaked March 2023 Defense Department document https://www.newsweek.com/us-intelligence-pentagon-leaks-american-us-troops-ukraine-jack-teixeira-1794405
that “NATO soldiers are already present in Ukraine.”
Unless the Chinese government has a policy of sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, which would be serious, since it could draw China into the war, it is not the alleged presence of Chinese soldiers that is dangerous. At a time when peace talks are at a fragile beginning, and US President Donald Trump is insisting on both sides showing they are serious about peace, it is the provocative statements coming out of Kiev that are potentially serious.
“Russia’s involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war,” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/4/9/chinese-soldiers-in-ukraine-is-beijing-sending-troops-to-back-russia
. “This definitely requires a response. A response from the United States, Europe, and all those around the world who want peace.” The suggestion that Putin is not serious about negotiating undermines US-led negotiations.
The first two captured Chinese citizens. Today, investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine spoke with them. We are working to establish all the facts regarding the involvement of these and other Chinese citizens being part of the Russian occupation army. Ukrainian… https://t.co/PkBpBjI2Qm
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1910040908919197944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The statements are also ill timed and hazardous. The United States and China are engaged in a trade war. It is a volatile time to provide Washington with a cause for turning up its anger against China. Zelensky intends the presence of Chinese soldiers to evoke an American response. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce https://thehill.com/policy/international/5238959-us-china-ukraine-russia-war-captured-chinese-nationals/
that “if the Chinese government is allowing their citizens to fight on behalf of the Russia government, this would be a concerning escalation and the U.S. will consider options moving forward.”
Beyond challenging the peace process, the comments coming out of Kiev are provocative to China, questioning its credibility and its lack of involvement in the war. Equally importantly, it challenges any potential role of China both in the negotiations before the end of the war and in security arrangements after the end of the war: both potentially important roles for China.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, https://x.com/andrii_sybiha/status/1909596394580476252
that "Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine puts into question" not only "China’s declared stance for peace" but even that it "undermines Beijing’s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council."
If the two captured soldiers turn out to be from China, and if they turn out to be mercenaries fighting without the approval of China, then their presence in Ukraine is not the big story. If the claims being made about them and about China resonate in the White House, then the effect of the claims could make difficult peace talks even more difficult. And that is what the potential big story would turn out to be.
https://cms.zerohedge.com/users/tyler-durden
Tue, 04/15/2025 - 03:30
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/are-chinese-soldiers-fighting-ukraine