Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Ukraine are mercenaries-US officials

12/4/2025 7:12

More than one hundred Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China's government, two U.S. officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official said.



Chinese military officers have, however, been in the theater behind Russia's lines with Beijing's approval to draw tactical lessons from the war, the former official told Reuters.



The head of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Samuel Paparo, confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had captured two men of Chinese origin in eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had information about 155 Chinese citizens fighting there on Russia's behalf.



China, which has declared a "no-limits" partnership with Russia and has refrained from criticizing Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, had called Zelenskiy's remarks "irresponsible" and said China was not a party to the war.