According to the information from Taiwan volunteers in the Ukrainian army, the only volunteer from mainland China, Peng Chenliang, was killed in action recently.
Taiwanese pastor Huang Chunsheng posted on Facebook on the afternoon of November 10, stating that 29-year-old Peng Chenliang (Farias) from Yunnan was the only Ukrainian soldier from mainland China. He expressed pro-Ukraine anti-Russia views on Twitter (now renamed X), for which he was reported and detained by the public security for 7 months. After that, he decisively left China and went to Ukraine to join the international legion.
Huang Chunsheng introduced that Peng Chenliang arrived in Ukraine in April this year. He was once deceived by a compatriot who took away thousands of US dollars under the pretense of helping him with procedures, leaving Peng Chenliang in dire straits. Fortunately, he received help from Taiwan volunteers and locals.
Peng Chenliang considered Lviv, Ukraine as his hometown, where he met his Ukrainian girlfriend. He expressed admiration for Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, hoping to visit Taiwan one day. “If I fall in battle, I hope to be covered with the flag of Taiwan and buried in the land of freedom in Ukraine.”
Huang Chunsheng also mentioned that before the end of the contract with the first battalion of the Ukrainian legion, Peng Chenliang applied to transfer to the second battalion for renewal, where there were three Taiwan volunteers. Unfortunately, he was killed in action by a mortar shell during his last mission before transferring to the new battalion.
Huang Chunsheng informed Taiwan’s Central News Agency that the news came from Taiwan volunteers in the Ukrainian legion, as there were rumors online that Peng Chenliang was the third Taiwanese soldier killed in action. Therefore, he clarified the situation through his post.
Huang Chunsheng’s post included a photo of Peng Chenliang, showing him receiving training at a military camp in the United States. He had great appreciation for American democracy and freedom, always wearing military uniforms with the American flag. When asked if he was American, he responded in English that he was an “American in spirit.”
After experiencing a military crisis lasting about a year, on February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While officially maintaining “neutrality” between Russia and Ukraine, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was leaning towards Russia and supplying crucial components for making weapons to Moscow. In April of this year, Blinken, during an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, warned that if the CCP did not stop, the United States would take action.