Chinese Nationals Are Fighting for Russia, Zelenskyy Claims

China appears to be the latest country targeted by Russian military recruiters (Wikimedia Commons).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on April 8, 2025, that the Ukrainian military had captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in the Donetsk Oblast, according to Meduza. President Zelenskyy later added that the Ukrainian government is aware of at least 155 Chinese nationals fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian War on the Russian side, per Meduza. President Zelenskyy claimed that these numbers were confirmed based on passport data and that likely many more Chinese nationals were fighting for Russia beyond those Ukraine has currently verified.

China’s foreign ministry rejected Zelenskyy’s claim that more Chinese nationals were fighting for Ukraine as “groundless” and noted that it has consistently urged its citizens to avoid any armed conflicts, according to the BBC. Zelenskyy refuted China’s statement, saying that the Chinese government knows Russia is recruiting its citizens to fight in Ukraine through social media apps, including Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. Russia has reportedly issued migration cards and Russian bank accounts to Chinese nationals fighting in its army.

While officially remaining neutral in the Russo-Ukrainian War, China has served as a lifeline for Russia’s economy in the wake of unprecedented Western sanctions that cut Russia off from much of the global financial and trade systems, according to ABC News. China’s sales of dual-use goods like machine tools, microelectronics, and other technology that has both civilian and military uses have surged since the start of the war, feeding Russia’s military-industrial complex. Russia has also become the largest importer of Chinese-built cars after European, Korean, and Japanese automotive brands pulled out of the country, according to the Financial Times.

Russia has previously used social media to recruit contract soldiers from other countries, most notably Cuba and Nepal, where thousands have been recruited, per CNN. Russia targets developing countries in its recruitment campaigns, luring potential recruits with wages that are much higher than those typically available in their home countries, along with the promise of large payouts to their families if they die before completing the term of their contract.

North Korea is the only state that has officially sent its soldiers to fight in the Russo-Ukrainian War, with over 10,000 North Korean troops joining Russian forces, according to ABC News. However, North Korean troops have so far only fought on official Russian territory occupied by Ukraine in the Kursk Oblast. The Chinese nationals Ukraine captured, meanwhile, fought for Russia on official Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.

The Russo-Ukrainian War continued to rage on despite President Trump’s attempts to broker a ceasefire between the two sides. While Ukraine has acquiesced to U.S. ceasefire demands, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stalled negotiations as conditions on the battlefield have turned in Russia’s favor. The Guardian has speculated that Zelenskyy may be leveraging Trump’s antipathy toward China by focusing on Chinese nationals fighting for Russia to encourage the U.S. president to pursue a more hardline approach toward Russia.