CNN
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Putting prisoners in front of reporters and news cameras is almost certainly a violation of international humanitarian law.
However, Ukraine clearly felt the damage to its reputation that it might suffer in doing so by the fact that it featured two captured fighters from China.
It was more valuable to give them a platform where debate was carried out than to protect them “from insults and public curiosity.” That’s what the International Committee of the Red Cross says includes protection from the media.
China has always asserted neutrality in Russia’s Ukrainian war, repeatedly telling its citizens not to engage in foreign conflicts. Just like Moscow’s important diplomatic and economic lifelines, Beijing’s actions are closely viewed in Kiev.
Dressed in combat fatigue, answering questions in the Mandarin, the prisoners were looked over by armed Ukrainian security personnel, with translators sitting by their side.
Men who have not been named or identified in any way by CNN, spoke about how financial incentives played a key role in their stories.
One said he was looking for a way to make money after losing his job during the coronavirus pandemic. Russia’s forecast of 250,000 rubles (about $3,000) per month was more than twice what he could expect to earn from home.
As someone with experience in medical rehabilitation, he told recruiters he wanted to do the same thing as the Russian army. However, when he arrived in Moscow, he was forced to train for a combat role.
The document was in Russian only and neither person said it understood. He said he communicated primarily through hand signals.
CNN has seen Russian military contracts signed by Chinese fighters that could indicate that the two prisoners of war agreed.
The contract presented to CNN by the Ukrainian intelligence source is written in Russian. If lasting for a year, volunteers will, among other things, violate “engaging in combat, performing their duties during mobilization periods, fulfilling emergency and martial law,” participate in “activities to maintain and restore international peace and security,” and “to stop international terrorist activities outside the territory of the Russian Federation.”
When they reached the battlefield, their teaching was also nonverbal. One of the men recounted the chaotic moments that led to capture in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
“When we arrived in the forest, my captain signaled me to launch an attack in Russian with ‘da, da, da’ (‘Yes, yes, yes’). But we passed many Russian positions. We thought we were heading towards our bunkers. Wherever we were.”
The man surrendered. They had only fought for three days.
Foreign fighters have been part of this war from the start – both sides.
The list seen by CNN of Ukraine’s non-Russian prisoners held in late 2024 showed six Sri Lankan nationals, seven from Nepal and about one individual from Somalia, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Egypt, Syria and the former Soviet Republic.
In January, Ukraine captured two North Koreans. This is part of an estimated army of around 14,000 troops sent from Pyongyang to support Moscow’s war efforts.
A source for the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Report told CNN that Russia is currently trapped in a war of attrition and needs foreign fighters.
“We can’t maintain our long frontlines with our own soldiers alone, and we’re looking for people who can take advantage of every opportunity,” the source said.
Since the announcement of the capture of Chinese men last week – followed by Ukraine, who declared there was information about 155 more Chinese people fighting for Russia – focuses on how they were adopted and whether the Chinese government played an active role in any way.
Certainly, Ukrainian President Voldymir Zelensky did nothing to curb such speculation when asked by a reporter whether he thought the presence of Ukrainian Chinese people was the result of Beijing policy.
“I don’t have the answer to this question yet. The Ukrainian security services will work on it,” he added last week, “I’m not saying someone has issued the order, there’s no such information.”
But Zelensky went on to say that Kiev believed Beijing knew what was going on.
The prisoners were otherwise in pain. They both said they were acting as individuals, pointing to a smooth recruitment video posted to Tiktok as a source of inspiration.
One such clip has been circulating on Chinese social media networks for over a year and appears to have been originally created for Russian audiences.
It shows what Russian soldiers seem to train and wear combat fatigue on the ground. “You’ll be a man, a man,” says in Russian, along with Chinese subtitles.
It is impossible to say whether the subtitles were added by official entities or social media users, but one of the men said that the video resonated in China, where military power is highly regarded, but opportunities for direct combat experiences are rare.
Ukraine previously held newspaper conferences with Pows, including one that includes combatants from Nepal and several African countries, but the decision to platform its Chinese prisoners of war is still unusual.
Timing is important.
It is in Kiev’s attempt to gain an edge in the fight against Moscow for the ears of US President Donald Trump.
Washington also focuses on China, with some of the White House being considered the US’s major global enemy, and the administration is gradually being hit hard by major import duties.
From Zelensky’s perspective, there is a clear interest in amplifying what suggests China’s support for Russia is more than diplomatic and economic.
But it may not be the only US that Ukrainian leaders are sending messages.
Anders Pack Nielsen of the Danish Defense University, thinks Kiev is also unsure about the recent overture of the European Union to China as the two economic powers are looking for possible joint solutions in the face of Trump’s trade war.
“It seems like all of a sudden, Europeans and Chinese people may find common ground for other questions,” Nielsen told CNN.
“It was clearly a political move to really highlight this aspect (of the Russian Chinese fighter planes),” he added.
Beijing certainly saw it that way.
“We urge those involved to understand China’s role correctly and calmly and not release irresponsible remarks,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said without mentioning his name.