Two Chinese citizens captured fighting for Moscow in President Vladimir Putin‘s war against Ukraine claimed Russian soldiers aren’t as strong at they say they are.

Wang Guanjung and Zhang Renbo made the remarks during a press conference in Kyiv on Monday after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky released footage he said showed Chinese troops were fighting for Moscow. He claimed they were captured in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Newsweek has contacted Russia’s foreign ministry for comment by email.

Why It Matters

While China claims neutrality in the war, it has provided diplomatic support to Russia and supplied materials that aid its weapons production. The reported capture of Chinese nationals allegedly fighting alongside Russian forces has heightened concerns about a potentially deeper and more direct role by Beijing in the conflict.

What To Know

Wang and Zhang, born in 1991 and 1998 respectively, are the first known Chinese citizens captured while fighting alongside Russian forces. Both claimed they joined the war voluntarily and denied any ties to the Chinese government.

Ukrainian authorities believe that there are many more of them—Zelensky recently said 155 Chinese nationals were fighting for Russia, while Russian-language investigative outlet Important Stories identified the names of at least 51 Chinese servicemen who visited Moscow’s contract military service recruitment center between June 2023 and May 2024.

Wang said he enlisted after seeing a TikTok advertisement offering a salary above China’s average. Zhang, who initially traveled to Russia for construction work in December, said he was later recruited into the military.

Both claimed they didn’t kill any Ukrainian troops.

“For those [Chinese] citizens who want to take part in the war, we want to say that they should not do so,” the pair said. “All Russia fed us are lies. They’re fake. Russia isn’t as strong as they claim, and Ukraine isn’t as backwards as they say.”

What People Are Saying

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on April 8: “We have information suggesting that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier’s units than just these two.

“Russia’s involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war.”

During the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press briefing on April 10, spokesperson Lin Jian said: “China did not start the Ukraine crisis, nor is China a party to it.”

Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the State Department, said in a statement on April 11: “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. Eighty percent comes from China.”

Dutch politician Jan Paternotte said on X on April 8: “Chinese soldiers captured in Europe. Not as peacekeepers, as Beijing has cynically suggested. But as mercenaries in Putin’s invasion force.

“There’s no way the Chinese government didn’t know. Europe must make clear: this is unacceptable.”

What Happens Next

The captured Chinese nationals said they would want to be returned to China, not Russia, as part of a possible future prisoner swap.

“I understand that there may be punishment, and I am ready for it. But I still want to return home and to my family,” Zhang said.

“Real war is completely different from what we have seen in movies and on TV,” said Wang. “I regret one thing—I want to apologize to my parents. And my only wish is to go back [to China] and follow all the instructions that will help me do that.”