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Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. He added that there are currently approximately 155 Chinese citizens known to be fighting against Ukraine on the territory of Ukraine, and about whom there is accurate information regarding their passport data, recruitment channels, etc. While their real number is estimated to be much higher. He also emphasized China’s “military support” for Russia, equating it to the DPRK and Iran.

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In this situation, it is indicative and important for analysis that China, from the very beginning of the news about the prisoners, began to censor its information space, removing from social networks and the media any mention of the detained Chinese citizens, even from the friendly Russia Today.

The Russian media, experts, and Kremlin-controlled Telegram channels unanimously denied the Chinese presence […]

Such significant active work by the PRC [People’s Republic of China] to hide these facts and reduce mention of them gives us an interesting clue.

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[Three conclusions regarding Chinese prisoners of war]

• Firstly […] Ukraine needs to support the discussion in the information space of aspects of the involvement of the Chinese in the war against Ukraine, for which it should provide new information obtained from the results of interrogations of Chinese citizens. Ukraine’s repeated appeals to China in 2022-2024 have not yielded results – China has become a critical enabler of the Russian war and the Russian defense industry.

At the same time, such significant active work by the PRC to hide these facts and reduce mention of them gives us an interesting clue.

• Secondly, in parallel, efforts should be intensified to identify the presence of Chinese in the Russian army and, if possible, to capture other Chinese citizens. […] This is especially relevant given China’s efforts to improve relations with Europe in the context of a trade war with the United States, but evidence of direct military support by China for Russian military efforts could significantly complicate this process, and therefore Kyiv could demand that China reduce technological support for Russia.

• Third, given the intensification of China-American competition and the beginning of a tariff and trade war, it is important for Kyiv that Ukraine’s key military partner, the US, understands the interconnectedness of the European and Indo-Pacific theaters. Information that China is increasing its support for Russia could be an additional argument for Kyiv in negotiations with Washington regarding the provision of reliable security guarantees to Ukraine and the continuation of military-technical supportfor Ukraine, as well as additional sanctions on Russia and China.

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