The AFU captured two Chinese soldiers who served in the Russian army: what they told during interrogation

Two Chinese citizens who fought on the side of Russian troops have been captured by Ukrainian forces and have given testimony to the Security Service of Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who stressed that the participation of foreigners in hostilities is a sign of an expanding war.

on 9 April, a video with fragments of the interrogation appeared in the Telegram-channel of the President. On it, two captives - Jiangxi Beijing and Wang Guangjun - talk about their participation in the war and the circumstances of captivity. As can be seen from the recording, the men are in an adequate condition, communicating through an interpreter, without signs of violence. Their passports as Chinese citizens were also shown.

The captives' stories

Jiangxi Beijing admitted that he had no military experience before joining the Russian army. According to him, he had never held a weapon before and was captured immediately after his first combat mission. He was armed with an AK-47 assault rifle.

Wang Guangjun, 34, said he fought with two other Chinese. After they escaped, he was left alone in a hideout. When he decided to surrender, the Russians, he said, threw a poison gas grenade in his direction. The soldier barely survived - he was saved by a Ukrainian soldier who pulled him out of the shelter. Already after that he lost consciousness.

President's comment

Volodymyr Zelensky emphasised that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia had involved about 150 Chinese citizens in the war. He noted that this indicates Moscow's deliberate expansion of the conflict.

"Such an undisguised involvement of Chinese citizens by Russia in fighting on the territory of Ukraine in an invasion war is a conscious move to expand the war," Zelensky said.

Later in the evening, the Security Service of Ukraine added details: the prisoners were detained in different areas of the frontline - one near Bilohorivka and the other near Tarasivka. Both are in normal conditions of detention in line with the Geneva Convention. It is specified that one of the men was unemployed, he was recruited in China, transported to Moscow, where he signed a contract. The second arrived in Russia on a tourist visa, then agreed to serve in the army, for which he received 2 million rubles.

The SBU also published photos of the captives and the conditions of their stay. One of them even showed a photo of his family.