Chinese vlogger in Ukraine branded ‘national traitor’ for siding with Kyiv in Russian war

A 36-year-old Chinese vlogger, who lives in Ukraine’s southern Odesa city, has been branded as a “national traitor” by his own people back home for simply posting videos of war-torn Ukraine.

Wang Jixian, a Beijing-born programmer, unintentionally became the voice of resistance in Ukraine when he posted videos of his whereabouts to let his parents know that he was doing fine amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, CNN reported.

It all started on February 24, the first day of the invasion, when Jixian posed a clip on Douyin, China's version of TikTok, to describe how things were normal despite the looming war.

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In the video, he purportedly says, "I'm coming back from buying groceries".

But as the days passed, the Russian assault on Ukraine escalated. When he would log into Douyin, Jixian would see Chinese people praising the Russian troops or supporting the invasion.

"I was very angry, then I thought I would record videos for them, and I'll tell them what the real battlefield is," he told CNN.

He soon started getting active across several social media apps like YouTube and the Chinese messaging app WeChat and started posting videos to sensitise the people about the war.

His effort paid off and soon, he quickly gained traction for offering an independent perspective on the war, contrary to the Chinese media which has been propagating the Russian claims of dethroning the “Nazi regime”.

In one video, the man holds up his Chinese passport and says "These Ukrainian guards are not Nazis, they are IT programmers, common people, barbers -- these are the people", CNN reported.

However, the rise to fame was soon followed by the detractors slamming him for not siding with the Chinese views, going as far as calling him a “national traitor”.

According to CNN, one critic told Jixian on Douyin, “You don't need this Chinese passport anymore, you have already forgotten which country you are from,” adding, "The official position of the country should be the position of all Chinese people.”

Despite facing global pressure, China has so far taken a neutral stand on the Russia-Ukraine war and said Moscow's "legitimate security concerns" should be taken seriously.

There have been reports of China sending military and economic aid to Russia—which Beijing denies.

Watch |Week 4 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine: Zelensky renews calls for talks with Russia

(With inputs from agencies)