Beijing is calling for humane treatment of its mercenaries who fought against Ukraine
7 May 11:19
China has assured that it is monitoring the situation regarding its citizens who fought on the side of Russia and were taken prisoner by Ukraine. This was stated by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The spokesperson said that Beijing is asking Ukraine, in accordance with applicable international law, to guarantee the legal rights and humane treatment of Chinese citizens who are prisoners of war.
“China has issued numerous security warnings urging its citizens to stay away from areas of armed conflict and avoid any involvement in the conflict, especially participation in military operations by either side,” Lin Jian said.
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He assured that China supports all efforts aimed at achieving peace.
“We hope that all relevant parties will continue to resolve the crisis through dialogue and negotiations,” concluded Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.
According to media reports, more than 28,000 foreigners from 136 countries have been fighting in the Russian forces since early May.
Background
As a reminder, Bogdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, recently stated that two Chinese citizens who fought on Russia’s side and were taken prisoner are still in Ukraine.
He noted that at this moment, the two Chinese nationals are being held in a pretrial detention center of the Security Service of Ukraine, although they were captured back in the spring of 2025. The Russian side has shown no interest in them.
Later, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video of their interrogation, in which one of the prisoners stated that he was following orders from a Russian commander.
According to Zelenskyy, the Russians are recruiting foreigners, particularly Chinese nationals, through TikTok. Ukraine is ready to exchange them, but only for Ukrainian soldiers currently held captive by Russia.
According to media reports, more than 100 Chinese citizens may be fighting on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine, and they have no direct connection to the Chinese government.
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