In an advertisement on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, guys are pictured abandoning their day jobs to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The clip, which is in Russian with Chinese subtitles, concludes with a call to action: “You’re a guy. Be a guy,” before stating that recruits might receive a signing bonus ranging from $7,000 to $21,000 and a monthly income of approximately $2,400.

That video alone has received hundreds of millions of views, and it is only one of several commercials circulating online in China attempting to lure fighters to the conflict in Ukraine. Advertisements like this have gained new attention since Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed on April 8 that Kyiv had apprehended two Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia.

 

He has subsequently accused Russia of carrying out a “systematic campaign” to recruit Chinese soldiers, claiming that the two seized men are among at least 155 other Chinese citizens fighting for Russia’s army. While testimony of Chinese nationals fighting for both Ukraine and Russia have circulated since the beginning of the all-out war, Zelenskyy’s latest remarks have prompted a closer look at how Russia recruited them.

 

Zelenskyy’s revelations add to prior reporting on foreign mercenaries in Ukraine, including exclusive medical records obtained by RFE/RL that reveal the exact scale of Russia’s war deaths. That database featured a Chinese individual, who verified in communications to RFE/RL that he was a Chinese citizen who fought alongside Russian soldiers but declined to provide any additional information.

 

Why are Chinese nationals fighting for Russia?

The main allure appears to be financial. Ads on Chinese social media platforms emphasize remuneration that exceeds the average monthly income outside of major Chinese cities, and comment sections on recruiting ads suggest that payment is the most common issue, followed by the level of Russian necessary. However, there is no indication that the soldiers are being sent as part of a state-sponsored plan in Beijing. Many recruits have no military experience.

 

In an April 9 video shared on Zelenskyy’s social media accounts, one of the captured Chinese men claims he had never been in battle before enlisting and had never carried a weapon before traveling to Russia for training. Others say they enlisted to gain battlefield experience. In a YouTube interview released last month, Chinese journalist Chai Jing met with a Chinese national who was on the front lines with Russian forces. The mercenary introduced himself using his call sign and explained how and why he enlisted. He stated that he joined Russian military in late 2023 after flying to Russia on a tourist visa. He released recordings from his experience as part of a “assault team” near the front lines in eastern Ukraine and shared videos that appeared to show him in Bakhmut during the bloody battles that left the town destroyed.

 

He also discussed the challenges he and other foreign soldiers encountered in their Russian groups, such as language problems and bigotry. The fighter stated he had previously served in the Chinese military and that money impacted his choice to join, but he was also motivated by a desire to experience battle. He has now documented his experiences fighting in Ukraine on Chinese social media networks. “I realized I might die here one day, so I decided to share some real experiences since China’s people haven’t been through a war for a long time,” he told me.

 

What is Beijing’s reaction to Chinese mercenaries in Ukraine?

China is Russia’s closest friend, and Western officials think it has played a crucial role in keeping Russia economically afloat throughout the war. However, China has abstained from supplying military aid. China’s Foreign Ministry has also stated that it advises its citizens to avoid conflict and that the notion that huge numbers are fighting is “totally unfounded.”

 

Zelenskyy has not explicitly stated that the Chinese government allowed the mercenaries’ involvement in Ukraine, but he has accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to Russia’s recruitment of its countrymen. And there are indications that Chinese officials have not made a determined attempt to halt them. The Chinese Internet is extensively regulated, and social media is closely monitored and controlled, but many of these recruitment posts, some of which are months old, remain up and circulated.