MORE than a hundred Chinese soldiers are fighting alongside the Russians after being recruited on TikTok, president Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed.
He said that Kyiv had details of more than 150 Chinese nationals deployed at the frontlines after claiming Ukraine’s army captured two Chinese citizens fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.
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A video shared by Zelensky today showed a snippet from interrogatons of the two captured Chinese fighters.
The clip also showed pictures of two Chinese passport – understood to belong to them.
In the short five-minute clip, one of the Chinese fighter, named Zhang Renbo, revealed details about his fight against the Ukrainians.
He said: “It was my first combat experience. I was given an AK-47. Before that I have never had a weapon.”
Zelesnky claimed Russia was seeking to recruit Chinese fighters by openly advertising on TikTok and other Chinese social networks.
The Ukrainian intelligence released a document contained the alleged names and passport details of 168 Chinese citizens that Kyiv said had been recruited by Russia’s army.
Zelensky said he believed there were “many more” and that further information was being gathered.
“It is clear how they recruit them. One of the schemes is through social media, in particular TikTok and other Chinese social networks, where Russians distribute commercials,” Zelensky said.
He did not accuse Beijing of having directly sent the soldiers, but said Chinese authorities were “aware” they were being recruited.
The president said: “The ‘Chinese’ issue is serious. There are 155 people with names and passport details who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine.”
“Beijing is aware of this.”
Zelensky had earlier published a video of one of two alleged captured Chinese citizens wearing military fatigues and with their hands tied off.
In the video, the prisoner mimicked combat sounds and uttered several words in Mandarin.
The Ukrainian army said Chinese ID cards and contracts for Russian military service had been found on them.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian had earlier rejected Zelensky’s previous claim that “many” Chinese citizens had been recruited by Russia to fight as “absolutely groundless”.
He said: “The Chinese government has always asked its citizens to stay away from areas of armed conflict [and] avoid involvement in armed conflicts in any form.”
He added that Beijing was verifying relevant information about the captured Chinese citizens with Kyiv.
Zelensky said he had received signals that Washington viewed Chinese nationals fighting for Russia as “unacceptable”.
It comes as a time when both the countries are involved in a brutal tit-for-tat war of trade.
The president added that China’s involvement in the war is a “clear signal” that Putin wants to drag the war.
“He is looking for a way to continue the war. This definitely requires a reaction. A reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace.”
China is one of the biggest allies of Russia and has been accused by the West of helping Vladimir Putin with weapons.
However, Beijing has repeatedly denied the allegations that it has helped the Kremlin fight against the Ukrainians.
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Soldiers from various countries have so far taken part in the Russia-Ukraine war – and it does not mean an official intervention by their home countries.
Thousands of troops from North Korea also joined the war to support Russia against Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has stayed deafeningly silent after Kyiv claimed that two Chinese nationals were captured fighting in Ukraine.
Ther Kremlin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: “I cannot comment on this information in any way.”
Military analyst Michael Clarke said that the reported arrest of two Chinese soldiers could be “very serious indeed” as it could mean that, contrary to its official claims, China is backing Russia militarily.
Clarke said that if Chinese soldiers are operating on state orders it would cross “quite a big legal line”.
He said: “That would mean that the Chinese are sending individuals to fight in a contested area to join an invasion of a foreign country.”
The military expert added: “The Chinese would pretend that that isn’t the truth. And the Russians would say that Donetsk is Russian territory, but legally, of course, it isn’t.
Is China sending troops into Putin’s meatgrinder?
By Lydia Doye, Foreign News Reporter
FEARS that China is sending troops to fight for Putin have been fuelled by videos circulating on social media.
Last month, a video emerged on social media claiming to show Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine.
In the unverified clip, allegedly shot in Selydove near Pokrovsk, East Asian troops graffiti the inside walls of a damaged house with what looks like Chinese characters.
The soldiers have equipment and clothing consistent with what regular Russian troops have been seen wearing in recent months.
A patch on one soldier’s right shoulder reads BARS, the acronym for Russia’s army reserve.
Captain Li shot to fame as a “celebrity soldier”, gaining an impressive 290,000 followers on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok.
In his videos the self-proclaimed soldier claims to be fighting alongside Russians on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Captain Li tell convincing tales from the battlefield – complete with harrowing near-death experiences.
Li is thought to have died in combat after his death was widely circulated on TikTok.
But Captain Li is not the only social media sensation who has allegedly fought on behalf of Russia.
Le Monde identified around 40 accounts belonging to Chinese individuals who claim to have signed up with the Russian forces.
Prominent accounts include Wolf Blood Dragon Soul, Li Dafu and Pan Lin.
And these soldiers are not thought to be the first or the last to join forces with the Russians.
A well-known war correspondent Lu Yuguang has claimed that Zhao Rui was the first Chinese soldier to be killed on the Russian-Ukrainian battlefield.
