Social media is advertising war. The most important thing from the press conference of the Chinese prisoners

The captured Chinese confirmed that the Russian Federation is publishing videos on Chinese social networks calling for people to join the Russian army — President Volodymyr Zelensky had previously reported this.

SBU organized a press conference with captured Chinese citizens. Babel has collected the most important things from what Wang Guangjun, born in 1991, and Chang Renbo, born in 1998, told.

"Any information is about Russiaʼs victories. In Chinese social networks you can see people in uniform, advertisements. In China, it is prestigious to be in the army, so someone may want to join the army in another country," said one of the prisoners of war.

How did you get into the Russian army?

The captive Wang Guangjun said that he worked as a firefighter and rescue worker in China, went to Russia to travel, and then decided to "earn some money". Thatʼs how he came across "high-quality" videos on TikTok advertising joining the Russian army.

At first, the Russians offered him work on construction sites. Later, they hid the details of his contact with the Russian army from him — the documents were in Russian, and communication was through gestures.

Chang Renbo lost his job due to the coronavirus pandemic and was looking for a job. At first, he negotiated with a Russian recruiter to work as a rehabilitator for wounded soldiers, but in Russia he was sent to the front.

Wang Guangjun said that when the recruiter brought them to the assembly point in Russia, there were about 20 foreigners who had also come to serve. They were probably from Central Asia, Ghana, and possibly Iraq.

Wang Guangjun said that he arrived in Moscow on February 5, and signed a contract with the Russian army on February 25. After that, he was sent to Rostov, and on April 1, he was transferred to the front in the Donetsk region.

Chang Renbo arrived in Russia on December 24, 2024, and four days later, on December 28, he was in Rostov as a contract soldier for the Russian army. In early February, he was transferred to temporarily occupied Donetsk. He served in various parts of the front, and on April 5, he was captured in the Donetsk region.

One of the prisoners said that there were ten Chinese in his unit, and the other had two.

Chang Renbo shared that on his first day at the training camp, his phone was taken away. He had to spend his own money—even for chargers—and was threatened if he refused to pay.

Details about service and captivity

When asked by a journalist from the PRC whether he tried to escape, Wang replied that escape was impossible because control at the training ground was very strict.

When asked if he had killed Ukrainian soldiers, he said no. According to him, he spent a month at the training ground, three days on the front line, after which he was captured.

The prisoners say that they saw the first Ukrainian soldier when they surrendered.

The captured Chinese citizens also told the details of how they were captured. Hearing Ukrainian drones and finding themselves under fire, the military decided to surrender — they showed it to the drone. The commander of a neighbouring unit was killed. Already in captivity, they came under fire from the Russians, presumably with chemical weapons. One of the prisoners almost died, but the Ukrainian military told them how to hide properly.

The prisoners want to return home, agree to an exchange and hope that China will facilitate this. Wang Guangjun said that his family is not aware of the captivity.

What preceded

Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 8 that two Chinese citizens who fought as part of the Russian army were captured in the Donetsk region.

The Presidentʼs Office noted that Ukrainian defenders engaged in battle with six Chinese soldiers near the settlements of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka in the Donetsk region.

This was the first publicly known case of the participation of Chinese military personnel in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the Chinese chargé dʼaffaires, demanding an explanation for the participation of citizens of that country in the war.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “checking the information with the Ukrainian side”. The Foreign Ministry stressed that the Chinese government has always asked its citizens to “stay away from armed conflict zones” and avoid any participation in hostilities or conflicts.

One of the Chinese citizens, who was captured by Ukrainian soldiers on April 8, said that he paid 300 000 rubles (approximately $3,470) to join the Russian army. All in order to obtain Russian citizenship. He underwent military training in the temporarily occupied Luhansk region — there were other Chinese citizens in the group.

Zelensky stressed that Ukrainian special services have information that the Russian army includes at least 155 Chinese citizens. Ukrainian intelligence has their documents.

The president said that the Russian Federation is recruiting Chinese people through TikTok and social networks. According to him, official Beijing knows that the Russian Federation is recruiting Chinese citizens on social networks.

In Russia, Chinese soldiers are given 3-4 days for a medical examination and 1-2 months for training. Then they fight on the territory of Ukraine.

• The US State Department said that the participation of Chinese citizens in the war against Ukraine is "disturbing".
• The Kremlin also cooperates with the North Korean army, sending its soldiers to fight in the Kursk region. In addition, foreigners from India, Nepal, and African countries are fighting alongside the occupiers.
• Since the beginning of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion, China has never publicly supported Ukraine. Beijing has supported Moscow and condemned sanctions against it.

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