Footage of a restrained soldier appearing to explain his experience in a battle in a mix of Chinese and English to his captor has been published by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Speaking alongside Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever during that nationalist politician’s first trip to Kyiv, Zelensky said during a battle in Donetsk — a Ukrainian region since the end of the Cold War — his armed forces engaged a squad of half a dozen Chinese soldiers.
Two of them were captured, he said, stating they found on the men “documents, their passports, even credit cards. They are Chinese citizens. I think this is a very important element”. Zelensky said “we have information” there are more Chinese fighters ” in the occupier’s units” than just this small group, and “we are currently verifying all the facts”.
Both the Russian military and Armed Forces of Ukraine allow foreign volunteers or mercenaries to join, and it is in no way clear whether these claims imply whether the Chinese soldiers were their on their own initiative or on that of Beijing. Zelensky, however, tacitly implied their capture meant an official Chinese deployment on behalf of Moscow.
If true this would be a very serious matter. The arrival of North Korean troops last year caused concern worldwide, but they were not deployed to Ukraine itself, but were used to defend mainland Russia itself from Ukraine’s counter-invasion. Per Zelensky’s claim, today’s Chinese fighters were engaged in combat inside Ukraine itself.
Zelensky said: “The Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners. I think it is urgent. I understand that we are a strong country, but we cannot fight many countries at the same time, which all need something on our land”.
He said the captured soldiers were “in the custody of the Security Service”, Ukraine’s main intelligence agency, suggesting they are probably being interrogated.
On the diplomatic side of the capture, Zelensky said he had instructed his diplomats to demand an answer from Beijing, and said he hoped to the speak to the United States about the development. He said: “I think we have something to talk about with the Americans, that they will change their position, especially after today’s news.”
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