President Volodymyr Zelensky said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops had captured two Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces, with Kyiv demanding an explanation from Beijing.
Moscow and Beijing have in recent years boasted of their "no limits" partnership and deepened political, military and economic cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
"Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine -- in the Donetsk region," Zelensky said in a post on social media.
"We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards, and personal data," Zelensky said in a post that included a video of one of the alleged Chinese prisoners.
The video showed a man wearing military fatigues with his hands bound, mimicking sounds from combat and uttering a small number of words in Mandarin, during an apparent interview with a Ukrainian official not pictured.
At one point he is heard saying the word "commander".
A senior Ukrainian official told AFP that the prisoners were likely Chinese citizens who were enticed into signing a contract with the Russian army, rather than being sent by Beijing.
They were captured "a few days ago", the source said, adding there may be more of them.
"Nothing is completely clear yet. When they are delivered to the SBU (Ukraine's security service) and at least interrogated, we will understand," the source added.
The source sent images of ID cards linked to one of the prisoners, which showed the date of his birth as June 4, 1991, and said he belonged to the Han ethnicity -- the majority ethnic group in China.
'Clear signal': Zelensky
There was no immediate response to the claims from either Moscow or Beijing, but Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said on social media that China's charge d'affaires had been summoned for an explanation.
"Chinese citizens fighting as part of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine puts into question China's declared stance for peace and undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council," Sybiga said.
China presents itself as a neutral party in the conflict and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side, unlike the United States and other Western nations.
Zelensky said Kyiv had evidence that "many more Chinese citizens" are fighting alongside Russian forces and that he had instructed his foreign minister to find out how China intends to respond.
He said the capture of the two men was "a clear signal" that Russian President Vladimir Putin "is going to do anything but end the war".
US says capture 'disturbing'
US President Donald Trump has been pushing for a speedy end to the war since taking office, but his administration has failed to reach a breakthrough.
Washington voiced alarm at the capture of two Chinese citizens, saying it showed Beijing's level of support for Russia.
"It's disturbing with the Chinese soldiers having been captured," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters.
"China is a major enabler of Russia in the war in Ukraine. China provides nearly 80 percent of the dual-use items Russia needs to sustain the war," she said.
The United States, since the administration of Joe Biden, has taken China to task for sending Russia dual-use items, which can be used for civilian or military purposes.
Bruce said the United States and Russia will hold talks on Thursday in Istanbul on restoring some of their embassy operations that have been drastically scaled back following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
The war, now grinding through its fourth year, has attracted thousands of foreign fighters to both sides.
Ukraine has been urging its Western partners to respond to the Russian deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to the western region of Kursk.
20 injured in drone strikes
Ukrainian authorities said early Wednesday that 20 people had been injured in three cities in Russian drone strikes overnight.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram 14 people were injured in Dnipro, with one in a serious condition. The casualties were aged between 18 and 87.
The southeastern city's mayor Borys Filatov said five high-rise buildings were damaged.
Donetsk region governor Vadym Filashkin said an 11-year-old girl, her mother and her grandmother were injured in Kramatorsk following a "massive attack by Russian drones".
And three people were injured in Kharkiv, authorities said, with the regional prosecutor's office adding that around 15 strikes hit an industrial area in the eastern city, impacting confectionery and paint manufacturers, among other civilian enterprises.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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