Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Russia/Ukraine

Ukraine accuses Russia of  recruiting Chinese fighters

Ukraine accuses Russia of  recruiting Chinese fighters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a news conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 8, 2025.

Danylo Antoniuk/Ukrinform/NurPhoto
Make us preferred on Google

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says at least 155 Chinese citizens are fighting for Russia in Ukraine and there are probably “many more.”

China’s foreign ministry responded that the country “has always required its citizens to … avoid being involved in armed conflicts in any form.”


Zelensky isn’t claiming the Chinese government sent these troops. Rather, he says the Kremlin is recruiting Chinese mercenaries on social media in what he described on X as “yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting.”

China on the spot. Even if the Chinese fighters have no official ties, their presence throws a fresh light on what, exactly, Beijing’s role is in the war. China doesn’t recognize Moscow’s claims on Ukraine, but the US has long accused it of helping Russia with weapons and “dual-use” technologies like computer chips and drones. Beijing also continues to buy Russian oil.

Beijing said Thursday it is a “staunch supporter” of a “peaceful resolution” to the war. Now, amid signs of a detente between China and Europe, China’s stance on Ukraine will be one to watch.

More For You

Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov

Founder and CEO of Telegram Pavel Durov delivers a keynote speech during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain February 23, 2016.

REUTERS/Albert Gea
Mixed signals from the Kremlin on TelegramRussia announced on Wednesday it charged the founder of Telegram, Russian-born Pavel Durov with facilitating terrorism for allegedly failing to remove information used to organize attacks inside the country. Earlier this year, Russia cracked down on the messaging app – slowing download speeds and blocking [...]
Has Trump changed his view of Ukraine?
- YouTube
In this episode of ask ian, Ian Bremmer explains why Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enters his latest White House meeting with President Trump in a stronger position than he did just a few months ago. [...]
People chant slogans as they walk during a protest and shutter-down strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an alliance of civil society groups, in Neelum Valley, Pakistani Kashmir.

People chant slogans as they walk during a protest and shutter-down strike called by the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), an alliance of civil society groups, in Neelum Valley, Pakistani Kashmir, June 21, 2026.

REUTERS/Naseer ud Din
Contested elections in Pakistan-administered KashmirRegional parliamentary elections began in the Pakistan-administered portion of Kashmir on Monday, but the first round of voting has been racked with violence. It's the latest flare-up in what’s been weeks of clashes in the region between police and protesters, who are organized by the Joint Awami [...]
Ozgur Ozel speaks to the media after submitting an application to establish the so-called New Party, in Ankara, Turkey.

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel speaks to the media after submitting an application to establish the so-called New Party, in Ankara, Turkey, July 24, 2026.

REUTERS/Efekan Akyuz
“New Party” shakes up opposition in TurkeyTurkish opposition leader Özgür Özel launched a new political party on Friday to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s party, the AKP. Özel was previously ousted by a Turkish court as chairman of the CHP in a move critics saw as an attempt to weaken opposition. More than 90 former CHP lawmakers joined [...]