Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently announced that Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting for the Russian military in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. According to reports, they were recruited in China and Russia and promised a reward of 2 million rubles each (about 170,000 Chinese yuan).
On April 8th, Zelenskyy posted on X platform stating, “Our military captured two Chinese citizens who were part of the Russian army during the combat. This incident took place in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal information were found on them.”
He mentioned that the Ukrainian forces engaged in combat with six Chinese soldiers, capturing two of them.
On the same day, Zelenskyy presented videos of the two captured Chinese soldiers being interrogated, along with a stack of Russian military documents intercepted by intelligence agencies.
In the video, the two captured Chinese soldiers were identified as Wang Guangjun (34 years old) from Henan and Zhang Renbo (27 years old) from Jiangxi. Both of them stated that they were part of a team with Russians and were captured by the Ukrainian forces on their first combat mission.
Zhang Renbo arrived in Russia in December 2024, initially for tourism. He came across a recruitment advertisement online offering 2 million rubles for signing up with the Russian army. After filling out a form, a Russian military representative who spoke Chinese contacted him, and he arrived in Moscow in February 2025 to sign the contract. He mentioned receiving an “AK-74” assault rifle but never firing a shot. At the time of capture, there were two Chinese and one Russian with them.
Wang Guangjun was recruited directly by the Russian embassy in China and arrived in Moscow in February 2025 to sign the contract. He mentioned that the impromptu team initially had three Chinese soldiers and two Russians, but three members went elsewhere. While in the wild, they encountered two more Russian soldiers from another team.
During the combat, the Russians threw tear gas into the trenches, causing panic. Feeling suffocated, Wang was rescued by a Ukrainian soldier who had initially escaped and returned to pull him out, saving his life.
Zelenskyy stated that the captured Chinese citizens are currently being held by the Ukrainian Security Service, and Ukrainian intelligence is investigating the matter.
He also pointed out that there are more Chinese citizens within the Russian forces than just these two individuals. According to Ukrainian intelligence, over 150 Chinese citizens have participated in the war between Russia and Ukraine, although they suspect the actual number to be higher.
On the 9th, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the claims, stating that it was “groundless.”
However, according to reports from “The Storm Media,” the stack of Russian military documents intercepted by intelligence agencies clearly details the recruitment process for these Chinese soldiers. They undergo four days of medical examination, two months of military training, and are provided with corresponding salaries, immigration documents, and bank cards. The documents show that 168 soldiers have signed contracts, ranging in age from 19 to 56, with roles including riflemen, snipers, artillerymen, and reconnaissance soldiers, spanning from regular soldiers to mid to high-ranking officers.