51 Chinese nationals reportedly join Russian forces in Ukraine
Russian media have identified 51 Chinese nationals who reportedly passed through Moscow's military recruitment center from June 2023 to May 2024 to serve under contract with Russian forces. This marks the first confirmed count of Chinese citizens fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
According to an article in the media outlet Vazhniye Istorii (Important Stories), 31 individuals approached the center in 2023 and 20 did so in 2024. The majority reportedly arrived in Russia shortly before visiting the recruitment hub, signing contracts within days. Ages of these recruits ranged from 20 to 51 years.
The recruitment spike occurred in July 2023, when eight Chinese nationals applied for military service. Some traveled in pairs, such as 38-year-old Wang Mingliang and 43-year-old Li Daocheng, who flew in on the same flight and enlisted together.
A notable number of these volunteers later returned to China, like 49-year-old Liu Hongshao, who shared a photo in November 2024 from China featuring a child with a backpack adorned with the Russian tricolor.
Ukrainian media also confirms that at least one Chinese contract soldier, 38-year-old Rui Zhao, was killed in the Zaporizhia region in December 2023. Others, like Lin Pan and Wei Duan, were reportedly injured and hospitalized. Lin Pan allegedly received a St. George's Cross for rescuing comrades near Bakhmut, despite being unable to speak Russian.
Reports also emerged of Chinese soldiers expressing discontent over service conditions. Forty-one-year-old Li Jianwei took to social media to criticize inadequate equipment, troop losses, and lack of medical care, commenting on how his comrades waited 8–10 hours for aid in battle. He lamented the disorganized nature of the Russian military compared to the Chinese forces.
"Our Chinese soldiers are like brothers – willing to sacrifice their lives to save you," he remarked.
Another soldier, Sun Ruiqi, apparently leading a platoon of Nepalese mercenaries, also criticized the lack of medical care and indifference from commanders. In a video from January 2024, he complained about the absence of proper treatment.
"There is no medical assistance. No one cares. Pain is killing me. I contacted the Chinese embassy in Russia, but they said it's my personal problem," he stated.
Sun later returned to China in March.