Two Chinese citizens caught fighting for the Russian army, Zelensky says

Two Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian army have been captured by Ukraine, President Zelensky has said.

The pair, who were carrying identification documents, bank cards, and personal data, were caught in the Donetsk region on Ukrainian territory, according to the president's post on X.

The Ukrainian president said that the Ukrainian government has more information that alleges more Chinese citizens are fighting for the Russian army than the prisoners of war captured.  

• North Korean troops are pulled from Russian frontline amid heavy losses
• Inside North Korea's shadowy military that's great in size but poorly equipped
• Is the West overestimating China's military capabilities, just as it did with Russia?

Intelligence teams, the security service of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian armed forces are currently validating the intelligence related to the Chinese citizens.

Mr Zelensky has asked China to reply to the ongoing situation. "I have instructed the minister of foreign affairs of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and clarify how China intends to respond to this," he said.

He also said that the suggested involvement of China in the Russian army "is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war".

This latest incident in the conflict comes after Russia and Ukraine agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea following days of talks in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Zelensky said later in the post that there would be a Ukrainian "response" to this situation, without going into detailed descriptions of what the Ukrainian government would do.

"This definitely requires a response. A response from the United States, Europe, and all those around the world who want peace," the Ukrainian leader added.

The Chinese citizens are now in the custody of the security service of Ukraine, while an investigation continues.

North Korean soldiers have been used by the Russian military during the Ukraine war.

However, Pyongyang's troops were removed from the frontline in Russia's Kursk region in January this year.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) soldiers sustained heavy casualties as more than a third of the 11,000 soldiers North Korea provided to Moscow have been killed or injured.