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Zelensky says 155 Chinese citizens fighting for Russian military against his country
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says his country has intelligence there are at least 155 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine.
Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens via social media and that Chinese officials were aware of that.
He added that Ukraine was trying to assess whether the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.
Zelensky said Ukraine has the last names and passport data for 155 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian army and that “we believe that there are many more of them.”
He shared with journalists documents listing names, passport numbers and personal details of the alleged Chinese recruits, including when they arrived in Russia for military training and departed for service. The documents have not been independently verified.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said earlier China was verifying the situation with Ukraine, adding that its government had always required its citizens to avoid areas of armed conflict and “especially to avoid participating in the military operations of any party”.
However, spokesperson Lin Jian rubbished Mr Zelensky’s claim there were “many more” Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russians against Ukraine after the latter released a video of a Chinese soldier taken by Ukrainian forces, one of two Chinese nationals he said were captured fighting for Putin.
Kyiv demanded an explanation from Beijing following the revelation, summoning China’s charge d’affaires as foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said the development “undermines Beijing‘s credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council”.
A former Russian government minister who was appointed by Vladimir Putin as a governor in illegally annexed Crimea has been found guilty of circumventing sanctions, in the first case of its kind.
Dmitrii Ovsiannikov, 48, former governor of Sevastopol, was accused of deliberately avoiding sanctions by opening a Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) account and having tens of thousands of pounds transferred to it by his wife, Ekaterina Ovsiannikova.
He was found guilty at Southwark Crown Court of six out of seven counts of circumventing sanctions between February 2023 and January 2024.
The jury failed to reach a verdict on the final charge.
His brother, Alexei Owsjanikow, 47, was convicted of two counts circumventing sanctions by paying school fees of £41,027 for his sibling’s children.
The case is the first prosecution in the UK regarding a breach of sanctions under the Russian Regulations 2019, according to the Crown Prosecution Service.
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces says Russia’s spring offensive has already begun.
Commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s military Oleksandr Syrskyi said in the Kyiv Independent that Moscow had nearly doubled its offensive operations across all main areas.
Winter with its freezing temperatures has meant drone strikes, but warmer weather (and closer to summer, less mud) means moving troops and equipment will be easier for both sides in the war in Ukraine.
Kyiv has expected Russia to launch a new offensive to heap pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
Citing intelligence reports late last month, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia was preparing new offensives in the northeastern Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizizhia regions.
He suggested that Vladimir Putin had been dragging out peace negotiations in order to buy time to “grab more land”.
“Putin wants to negotiate over territory from a stronger position,” he said after his visit to Paris.
Ukrainian intelligence has information there are about 155 Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said.
Mr Zelensky claimed that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens via social media and that Chinese officials were aware of that.
He added that Ukraine was trying to assess whether the recruits were receiving instructions from Beijing.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said earlier China was verifying the situation with Ukraine, adding that its government had always required its citizens to avoid areas of armed conflict and “especially to avoid participating in the military operations of any party”.
Russia’s attacks on Ukraine have ramped up since a ceasefire offer was made, the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Wednesday.
The comment came after a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Brussels.
“Ukraine is fighting a war that only Russia wants to continue. The urgency of international support for Ukraine is clear,” she wrote on X.
Ms Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said Ukraine will soon receive its first tranche of windfall profits on Russian assets, and the aim is for the second tranche to be received gradually from the end of April.
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the EU has confirmed its “shared commitment to Ukraine’s EU accession” following a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.
“We confirmed our shared commitment to Ukraine’s EU accession, deeper integration into the Single Market and the EU’s security architecture,” he wrote on X.
“Ukraine continues delivering reforms and expects to open Cluster 1 and other clusters in 2025.”
He continued: “Grateful for the EU’s unwavering support, Ukraine Facility funding and military assistance plans for 2025.
“We welcome the ReArm Europe initiative, the White Paper on European Defence, and consistent EU sanctions policy.”
Ukraine’s president Volodymr Zelensky shared a video of a Chinese citizen captured by Ukrainian forces.
Mr Zelensky said they captured two Chinese fighters.
He added there were “many more” fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine.
China said that claim “has no basis in fact”.
The head of Ukraine’s armed forces said Russia has doubled its mobilisation across all major sectors of the frontline.
Fighting has carried on, as Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says the spring offensive “has effectively already begun”.
Negotiations over a minerals deal between Ukraine and the US will continue in Washington this week.
The fresh talks this week come after the US gave Ukraine a new sweeping deal that would, if agreed, give America all profits from its critical minerals as well as gas and oil to pay off Kyiv’s war debt and interest.
The Ukrainian government has set aside $2.7 million (£2.1 million) to go towards consulting services to advise Kyiv on how to “protect the national interests of Ukraine”.
Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko confirmed on Monday a delegation including representatives from the ministries of economy, foreign affairs, justice and finance will travel to the US capital this week to continue the negotiations.
“This dialogue reflects the strategic interests of both nations and our shared commitment to building a strong, transparent partnership,” she wrote on X.
“We aim to align on project selection, legal frameworks, and long-term investment mechanisms.”
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Ukraine war live: Zelensky says 155 Chinese soldiers fighting for Putin – The Independent
