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China’s foreign ministry said it has always urged its citizens to avoid all areas of armed conflict
Beijing said it was working to verify claims that Ukraine has captured two Chinese soldiers, saying it had always urged its citizens to stay away from all areas of armed conflict.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson also hit back against “totally unfounded” claims by Kyiv that there are many more Chinese nationals fighting in Ukraine than the two supposedly captured.
Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday posted a video of one of the captured men, saying it confirmed Beijing has joined Russia’s war effort in the three-year-old war.
Ukrainian officials said they found identification cards, bank cards and personal data on the two men, confirming their Chinese identity. Kyiv’s forces fought six Chinese troops in Donetsk, Mr Zelensky said, adding that Ukraine believes there are “many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just these two”.
It is understood that UK officials have so far found nothing that links the captured troops to the Chinese government.
Kyiv yesterday demanded an explanation from Beijing, 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”.
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of a drone attack in Kharkiv overnight as fighting continues.
The Kremlin has declined to comment on comments from Volodymyr Zelensky that Ukraine captured two Chinese men who had been fighting alongside Russia in Ukraine.
“I cannot comment on this information in any way,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters this morning.
Volodymyr Zelensky shared a video yesterday of one of the captured men, and said there were “many more” Chinese fighters among Russia’s ranks.
China’s foreign ministry said it was working to verify Volodymyr Zelensky’s claims about Chinese fighters.
The Ukrainian president revealed two Chinese soldiers had been captured after fighting in eastern Ukraine alongside Russian forces, and he said there were “many more” Chinese fighters among Russian ranks.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said the claim that there were significant numbers of Chinese people fighting with Russia was “totally unfounded”.
He said: “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.”
Mr Lin added that China has played a “constructive role in politically resolving the Ukraine crisis” and has always asked citizens to avoid getting involved in any form of armed conflict.
A former Ukrainian brigade leader has hit out at the country’s military commander, accusing him of putting soldiers’ lives at risk.
Bohdan Krotevych had been chief of staff of the Azov brigade until he quit in February, and told The Guardian in an interview that Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi “must go” and the whole military’s leadership needed a refresh.
Mr Krotevych said commanders were “asking of soldiers things which they wouldn’t ask of themselves”.
Some of those orders according to Mr Krotevych included asking soldiers to rest 50 metres from the frontline when their shifts were over, which he argued put “all these people in grave danger”.
“I started receiving from the high army command, from the commander-in-chief HQ, orders that became more and more borderline criminal, which I, in my good conscience, was unable to fulfil and follow,” he said in the interview.
Ukraine’s military said Russia launched 55 drone attacks overnight.
While the General Staff of the Armed forces said 32 drones were shot down and eight were lost, others struck targets, including in Dnipro.
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said 15 people were injured in strikes on Dnipro, and eight remain in hospital. She said drones hit four apartment buildings and dozens of cars.
Russia’s massive drone attack on Kharkiv last night caused multiple fires to break out, injuring at least two people, according to local officials.
China’s Foreign Ministry has objected to Volodymyr Zelensky’s remarks that more Chinese citizens were at the frontline alongside Russians, calling them “groundless”.
The Ukrainian president said his forces had captured two Chinese soldiers who had been fighting alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, and said there were “many more” Chinese fighters working with Russia.
This morning China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said: “Ukraine should correctly view China’s efforts and constructive role in seeking a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.”
He said China was verifying the situation with Ukraine, adding that Beijing had always required its citizens to avoid areas of armed conflict and “especially to avoid participating in the military operations of any party”.
Beijing is a close diplomatic ally of Moscow, and has not condemned Russia’s full-scale invasion. Beijing said it has been objective and fair on the war.
Russia’s foreign ministry says Ukraine has continued to target Russian energy infrastructure on a daily basis.
The US had brokered a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure between Russia and Ukraine, but both sides have accused each other of violating that truce.
Reuters was unable to verify Russia’s claims.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko said Russia was continuing to target civilians, with overnight drone strikes injuring three in Kramatorsk, including an 11-year-old girl.
“It’s naive to believe that Russians have any other plan than to continue this expansion [of] these attacks,” she said on X.
The Ukrainian President revealed yesterday that two Chinese men had been captured in Ukraine, fighting alongside Russian forces.
Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian forces had battled six Chinese citizens in the eastern Donetsk region and took two of the men prisoner.
Mr Zelensky shared a video of one of the prisoners, who appeared with his hands zip-tied together.
Kyiv summoned China’s charge d’affaires, demanding an explanation from Beijing.
The Ukrainian president noted the difference between North Korea’s 12,000 troops helping Russia and the latest development: “The North Koreans were fighting on the Kursk front against us. The Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine.”
Read our full report here
China’s foreign ministry said it has always asked citizens to refrain from joining military operations on either side of the war in Ukraine.
The foreign ministry also said claims that more Chinese citizens were fighting in Ukraine for Russia were baseless.
Yesterday, Volodymyr Zelensky had said there were “many more Chinese citizens” fighting alongside Russian forces, after sharing a video of a captured Chinese soldier.
The foreign ministry said China had rather undertaken a constructive role in trying to help with the political resolution of the war.
China’s foreign ministry said it was verifying the information with Ukraine, after Mr Zelensky also released a video of a captured soldier.
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Ukraine-Russia war live: China investigating claim Chinese troops fighting in Ukraine – The Independent
