“I paid US$3,400”: Chinese POW details his journey into Russia's war in Ukraine

A Chinese citizen captured by Ukrainian forces during the fighting near the settlement of Bilohorivka in Luhansk Oblast has revealed that he joined the Russian military through an intermediary in China, paying RUB 300,000 [approximately US£3,480]. His motivation was the promise of Russian citizenship. He underwent military training in occupied Luhansk Oblast, where he had no interpreter, relying instead on gestures and a phone to communicate.

Source: Communications Department of the Luhansk Operational Tactical Group in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda Details: The department reported that during the fighting near Bilohorivka, soldiers from Ukraine's 81st Separate Mechanised Brigade captured three Russian soldiers, one of whom was a Chinese citizen.

He was taken prisoner during the hostilities when a Russian assault group, under fire from Ukrainian soldiers, including drone operators, chose to surrender. According to the prisoner, he joined the Russian military through an intermediary in China, paying RUB 300,000 for the opportunity to enlist in the Russian Armed Forces.

He reported that he had received training in the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast as part of a group of Chinese nationals. The training covered basic military skills and was conducted without an interpreter, relying on gestures and a mobile translator for communication.

He stated that his primary motivation was the desire to become a serviceman and obtain Russian Federation citizenship. He also mentioned that some group members had legal issues in China.

Due to the language barrier, he was not fully aware of the situation during the assault. The group suffered casualties in the battle and, unable to continue resisting, chose to surrender. The individual is currently cooperating with Ukrainian investigative agencies, and his identity and citizenship have been confirmed.

He noted that his family was aware of his intentions to go to Russia, although he officially travelled as a tourist. The communications department of the Luhansk Operational Tactical Group also emphasised that Ukraine strictly adheres to the provisions of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War. All necessary investigative and procedural actions are being carried out with the captured Chinese citizen.

Read also: The battle for the white hills.

What's really happening in Bilohorivka, which hardly ever makes the news

Background:

• On 8 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian troops in Donetsk Oblast had captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting in the ranks of the Russian military.

  Zelenskyy also noted that he had instructed Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha to urgently contact Beijing to determine how China intends to respond.

• The two citizens of the People's Republic of China have been captured in Donetsk Oblast by soldiers from the 81st Separate Airborne Slobozhanska Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces and the 157th Separate Mechanised Brigade.
• US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce has stressed China's role in supporting Russian aggression after evidence was published of Chinese citizens participating in the war against Ukraine.

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