Ukraine recently apprehended two Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia. This follows a broader intelligence report which identified 163 Chinese nationals believed to be involved in the war on Moscow’s side.

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“We are collecting information, we believe that there are many more,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on 9 April.

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Zelensky accuses Beijing of looking the other way

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President Zelensky also pointed a finger at China, accusing its authorities of either supporting or failing to prevent the recruitment of Chinese citizens to fight in Ukraine.

“Beijing knows about this. Russians distribute advertising videos about recruitment through Chinese social networks,” he said.

Both sides in the war have relied on foreign fighters since it began. But the presence of Chinese mercenaries in particular has drawn comparisons to North Korean troops, who were reportedly deployed in large numbers to help Russia in its efforts to retake parts of Kursk Oblast.

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Also read: 'When Russians hide, North Koreans shoot': How Pyongyang's troops are reshaping Russia-Ukraine war

Chinese recruits promised big money online

Ukrainian intelligence says the first wave of Chinese fighters appeared in Russia in the summer of 2023. However, signs of recruitment efforts were visible much earlier.

One post from July 2022 on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, shows a man preparing to leave Beijing for Russia on 1 September. In the video, he says, “Your daily salary will be 30,000 Russian rubles. Welcome to Russia!” The claim suggests a salary of around $350 per day.

Recruitment videos have continued into this year, with some offering generous incentives. One video promises a sign-up bonus of 2.3 million rubles ($27,000) and an annual salary of 5.2 million rubles ($62,000) to new recruits.

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But the reality of life on the front line tells a very different story.

'Don’t come. There is nothing good here'

Zhao Rui, from Chongqing, became the first known Chinese casualty of the war in December after he was reportedly killed by a Ukrainian drone.

“Don’t come. There is nothing good here to come to,” Zhao had said, according to Chinese media.

A documentary released in March featured a Chinese assault soldier known as “Macron” speaking to journalist Chai Jing from near Bakhmut.

“I realised I might die here someday, so I decided to share some real experiences,” he said. “Since Chinese people haven’t been at war in a long time, I wanted to show what a regular soldier, especially a foreign one, really goes through in war,” he added.

Watch: China develops anti-drone barrage system to beat wartime swarms

Macron described harsh treatment and prejudice during training. “There has been severe racial discrimination since training camp, discriminating against Black people, Arabs, and Chinese,” he said.

He added, “Russia is reluctant to send their regular Slavic troops to charge on the front lines, so they spend money to recruit mercenaries for front-line charges, where survival chances are extremely low.”

Some of the Chinese recruits have ended up in units like Storm-Z, known for sending fighters into high-risk missions. Reports from August showed two young Chinese men dying on their very first deployment with Storm-Z.

Families of Chinese fighters killed in action are reportedly owed 400,000 renminbi, just over $50,000. But reports say those payments are often delayed.

Contracts that never end

There are also claims that the Russian military has refused to release Chinese fighters at the end of their contracts.

“We’ll terminate your contract only after winning the war,” one Chinese soldier recalled being told, during an interview with blogger Lei’s Real World in July.

He added, “Two of my men deserted. They are making every effort to capture them. If they are caught, they won’t live for sure. So I can only wish the two deserters good luck.”

(With inputs from agencies)