AFTER NORTH KOREA, CHINESE SOLDIERS COME TO RUSSIA’S RESCUE

DI MARIKA DE PIANTE VICIN

27/04/2025

In April, Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine. The arrests pushed Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy to disclose intelligence findings on the extent of this chinese involvement.

At the beginning of April, Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting on the side of Russia in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. This incident prompted President Zelenskyy to reveal that, according to Ukrainian intelligence, at least 155 Chinese nationals are believed to be operating on Ukrainian territory in support of the enemy. While exact figures remain uncertain, the evidence is concrete.  All captured foreign fighters, including the Chinese nationals, are reportedly being treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and are receiving appropriate medical care.

It is not the first time the Russian Federation has deployed mercenaries to fight: over the years, people from Libya and Syria came to fight for Russia. And it is becoming more and more common in this war as well, as Russia is apparently facing increasing losses, shrinking manpower and collapsing morale. Recently North Korea helped Putin by sending 10.000 of its soldiers to fight against Ukraine.

The tactics to recruit fighters have evolved over the years. The Chinese soldiers who were captured claimed they were lured in to fight for Russia by advertisements popping up on Chinese websites and socials. These ads are coming from both Russian agencies and from Chinese citizens who are willing to sponsor the benefits of joining the war. The latter usually boast how they found out about the possibility of joining the Russian army and list the benefits of doing so, also mentioning the possible acquisition of Russian citizenship. The former mainly focus on the entry bonus and salary, which stand at around 7000€-24.000€ and 2000€ monthly accordingly. They also link being a soldier to masculinity and play on stereotypical gender roles. Some of the captured soldiers as well as the people who shared their experience on social media affirmed that they joined the Russian army because the benefits were greater in numbers and it is easier to obtain the citizenship, but they could have joined the Ukrainian side if benefits had been promising. So it seems to be more of a personal choice rather than a political one.

Many of the viewers of these videos leave comments asking if they can join despite the language barrier and if there are any age requirements. Other fighters came forward with more philanthropic reasons, going as far as stating that they wanted to experience war to testify against a future (and closer to China) one. 

During these delicate moments, accusations to the Ukrainian army of welcoming foreign fighters (in this case Chinese) were of no surprise. However, Kyiv does not deny the presence of foreign soldiers fighting for Ukraine but stresses the fact that Ukraine only accepts volunteers and is not recruiting mercenaries.   Beijing was quick to deny any involvement in the diffusion of advertisements on its platforms, reiterating its long-standing claim of neutrality in the conflict. The Chinese government emphasized that it had advised its citizens to avoid war zones and conflict areas. This stance is reminiscent of its earlier diplomatic performance — the so-called "peace plan" released in 2023, a year after the war started. That document, dressed up as a proposal for a peaceful resolution, was widely criticized for its vague language, lack of binding commitments and solutions to critical issues such as territorial sovereignty and security guarantees. In short, it was more of a save-face gesture to prevent accusations of being Putin’s tacit ally than a peace project.  Chinese officials went on to define the accusations as “dangerous” and “groundless”, furthermore affirming that if there are Chinese soldiers on the ground, they are there on private initiative. Questions are left unanswered and among them: how is it possible that a country known for its social media control doesn’t know another country is sponsoring its army on their websites? Pretty unthinkable. Silence and inaction could be considered as plain complicity. On top of that, China has very important ties with Russia and has been accused of sending weapons, so doubts about the truth of these claims are legitimate.

This news comes after the well-known involvement of North Korean troops on the side of Russia which started around December of last year. The script is the same, except for the fact that at that time advertisements were not necessary: 10.000 soldiers were sent by Kim Jong Un himself. These soldiers are frequently discovered carrying fake Russian documents and are often deployed in contested territories that Russia aims to reclaim. Much like their Chinese counterparts, they lack real combat experience, though North Korean soldiers are rigorously trained to endure physical pain and withstand torture. When viewed alongside Russia’s battlefield tactics, all signs point to their true role: expendable cannon fodder. The “meat-grinder” tactic employed by Russia aims to conquer as much territory as possible by stressing Ukraine’s defense with high numbers of soldiers, but the price paid in lives is immeasurable.  Contrary to what was previously thought, in April 2025 Putin called for the conscription of around 160.000 men aged 18-30, therefore raising the maximum age from 27 to 30 and broadening the pool of men allowed to join the army. Authorities claim that these new conscripts are not meant to take part in the war, yet reports have proven otherwise in the past. That is why young Russian men are trying to find any alternative they can to avoid being conscripted, leaving the Russian government with only coercive measures and foreign help to avoid the drought of its army (i.e. drafting North Korean soldiers). Depending on the source, Russia has lost between 200.000 and 1 million people in this war.

These Russian conscriptions stem from a persistent sense of threat and the escalating war. The situation is further complicated by the apparent strengthening of EU unity and the enlargement of NATO with Finland and Sweden. Both situations are a direct consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With an unclear situation regarding a possible ceasefire, the lack of security guarantees requested by Ukraine and the persistence of the old Russian habit of breaking ceasefires, stress and fatigue are mounting in both countries. As the aggressor, Russia seems to be increasingly less able to justify its position as time goes on.