Two Chinese citizens fighting as part of the Russian army were captured in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday.
“Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine – in the Donetsk region. We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards and personal data,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post.
Zelenskyy shared footage of one of the prisoners and claimed Ukraine had information on additional Chinese citizens fighting within the Russian army.
“We have information that there are much more than two such Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units,” Zelenskyy said.
If confirmed, this would mark the presence of a third country with boots on the ground and a fourth country overall fighting on Russia’s side in its all-out war against Ukraine. Earlier last year, up to 12,000 North Korean troops were deployed to the Kursk region to support Russian forces.
According to Zelenskyy, North Korean units fighting for Russia have suffered around 4,000 casualties, two-thirds of them killed. Meanwhile, Tehran has been providing its support to Moscow, including Shaheed drones, but it has no personnel present in Ukraine at this time.
“This is yet another country providing military support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Another one after Iran and North Korean troops,” Zelenskyy said.
“But there is a difference: the North Koreans were fighting against us on the Kursk front, while the Chinese are fighting on Ukrainian territory. I believe this is an important issue that we need to discuss with our partners.”
The Ukrainian president told reporters he had ordered officials in Kyiv to get an explanation from Beijing.
China has been Russia’s key partner since the start of the full-scale invasion. The country has become Moscow’s top supplier of dual-use goods used in weapons production.
He called on Western allies to react.
Urgent UNSC meeting requested
Ukraine has initiated an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council and a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council following Russia’s deadly attack on Kryvyi Rih, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
“Russia’s ballistic strike on Kryvyi Rih last week killed nine children, the largest number of Ukrainian kids killed in a single attack since 2022. Russia targeted playgrounds in an ordinary residential area. With a cluster warhead to maximise casualties,” Sybiha wrote.
The UN Security Council and OSCE meetings “will help to advance peace efforts and accountability” and will take place on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday that at least three people were killed and 19 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Regional governor Vadym Filashkin said two people were killed and two more wounded by Russian shelling in Donetsk.
Another person was killed in Kharkiv and five more were injured, including a child, according to the area’s governor Oleh Syniehubov.
Ukrainian authorities report that at least 17 others were injured in Kherson and Dnipro.
Russia launched 46 drones at Ukraine overnight, including Shahed-type attack drones and a ballistic missile, according to the Ukrainian military.
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