China dismisses role in war against Ukraine, calls on Kyiv to temper rhetoric

Lin’s statement came after President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 155 Chinese citizens were fighting for Russia on the territory of Ukraine. A day prior, Kyiv captured the first two Chinese nationals in Donetsk Oblast.

“Beijing knows about this. The Russians distribute advertising videos about recruitment through Chinese social networks,” Zelensky stated.

When asked about the details Ukraine’s president provided, the Chinese spokesperson reiterated that “we are not a party to it.”

“The Chinese government always asks Chinese nationals to stay away from areas of armed conflict, avoid any form of involvement in armed conflicts, and in particular avoid participation in any party’s military operations,” he said at a briefing.

“We call on the relevant party to be right and sober about China’s role and refrain from making irresponsible remarks,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also denied China’s involvement in Russia’s war, describing the country as a “strategic partner, friend, comrade.”

A Ukrainian intelligence document seen by the Kyiv Independent showed that there are at least 163 Chinese nationals serving in Russia’s Armed Forces as of early April. Another document showed photos and passport details of 13 Chinese recruits who were being selected for service in the Russian army as of April 2.

One of the captured soldiers claimed he paid 300,000 rubles (roughly $3,500) to a middleman in China to join the Russian military in exchange for the promise of citizenship, Ukraine’s Luhansk military unit press service told Ukrainian Pravda earlier in the day.

China, which portrays itself as a neutral party in the war, has become the Kremlin’s largest supplier of dual-use goods essential for weapons manufacturing.

Unlike North Korean troops, who have fought on Russian soil, the Chinese nationals were captured on Ukrainian territory, marking a potential escalation in foreign involvement.

North Korea sent around 12,000 troops to Russia’s Kursk Oblast in 2024 to reinforce Russian lines after a Ukrainian cross-border offensive. Kyiv has said it captured two North Korean soldiers in January, estimating 4,000 casualties among the deployed units.