Chinese fight in Ukraine’s army

Detailed summary

“I want the world not to give up on China. Don’t always associate China with negative things. There are many good people in China and many positive ideas.” These are the words of…

“I want the world not to give up on China. Don’t always associate China with negative things. There are many good people in China and many positive ideas.”

These are the words of Tim, 43, one of a few dozen Chinese who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine in its war with Russia, nearing its fourth year. For the first time, we have information about these men, published in the British Guardian newspaper.

Tim works in barracks in southern Ukraine making drones for Ukraine’s ground forces. Each month the drones kill thousands of Russian soldiers and destroy their tanks and armoured vehicles. Like the other Chinese volunteers, Tim did not wish to give his full name, for fear of retribution against his family at home.

He joined the army in July 2024. He was in Kyiv delivering aid when he went to the country’s largest paediatric clinic. It had just been reduced to rubble by a Russian missile. He was so angry that he decided to join the army and has served in it since.

He came to learn about the war from watching videos on Youtube in China. This is only possible by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), since Youtube is blocked in China. Taking long routes that involved several stopovers, he visited Ukraine several times, was well treated and decided to move there as a volunteer.

The Ukrainian military says that about 8,000 foreigners served in two dedicated international legions, many from South America. They are attracted by salaries up to US$3,000 a month for the most dangerous missions.

In April, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukrainian intelligence had confirmed 155 Chinese fighting for the Russian military and that the real number was likely to be many more. That month his army captured two, who gave a news conference in Kyiv.

One said that he joined to earn military training and earn Russian citizenship. The other said that, like other Chinese volunteers, he had joined to escape legal issues at home.

Another Chinese volunteer in the Ukraine army, Fan, 39, said…

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