Zelenskyy posts video of interrogation of Chinese POWs captured in Donetsk Oblast – photos
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published a video on his social media on Wednesday 9 April, showing the interrogation of the first two Chinese prisoners of war who were fighting on the side of the Russians.
Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook; Security Service of Ukraine (SSU)
Details: Zelenskyy stated that SSU investigators are currently establishing all the facts concerning the presence of these and other Chinese nationals in the ranks of Russian forces.
Quote from Zelenskyy: "As of now, we have precise data on over 150 Chinese citizens who were involved in the war against Ukraine by Russia. We know that the actual number is higher. Ukraine believes that such blatant involvement of Chinese citizens in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine during the war of aggression is a deliberate step towards the expansion of the war and is yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting."
Details: The SSU reported that the video shows two Chinese nationals: one of them was captured by fighters of the 2nd Battalion of the 157th Mechanised Brigade near the village of Tarasivka, and the other by servicemen of the 1st Battalion of the 81st Airmobile Brigade near the village of Bilohorivka.
The foreign prisoners have not sustained combat injuries but are receiving necessary medical assistance as prescribed by the Geneva Convention. They were transported to Kyiv for initial investigative procedures.
According to both foreigners, they were captured by Ukrainian forces during their very first combat mission.
One of them, 33 and unemployed, was recruited by a Russian representative directly in China. He arrived in Moscow in February 2025 and signed a contract.
The other, 26, came to Russia in December 2024 allegedly for tourism. He stated that he later applied to sign a contract while in Russia after responding to an online advert offering military service and a payment of RUB 2 million [approximately US$23,288].
The SSU is currently verifying the prisoners' statements and conducting the necessary investigative actions to determine all the circumstances of the involvement of Chinese citizens in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Background:
- On 8 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian troops in Donetsk Oblast had captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting in the ranks of the Russian military. Zelenskyy instructed Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to urgently contact Beijing to find out how China intends to respond.
- It is known that the two Chinese citizens were captured in Donetsk Oblast by soldiers from the 81st Separate Slobozhanska Airmobile Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces and from the 157th Mechanised Brigade.
- US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce spoke out about China's role in supporting Russian aggression after evidence had been published of Chinese citizens participating in the war against Ukraine.
- A Chinese citizen captured by Ukrainian forces during the fighting near the settlement of Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast revealed that he had joined the Russian military through an intermediary in China, paying RUB 300,000 [approximately US$3,480]. His motivation was the promise of Russian citizenship. He underwent military training in temporarily occupied Luhansk Oblast, where he had no interpreter, relying instead on gestures and a phone to communicate.
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