Investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) have conducted the first interrogations of prisoners of war from the People’s Republic of China who were captured by the Defense Forces in the Donetsk region. They are currently providing testimony about how they ended up in the war in Ukraine and what tasks they were performing as part of the Russian armed forces on Ukrainian territory.
The case involves two Chinese nationals: one was captured by soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 157th Mechanized Brigade near the village of Tarasivka, and the other by service members of the 1st Battalion of the 81st Airmobile Brigade near Bilohorivka.
The captured foreign nationals are not suffering from combat-related injuries, but they are receiving necessary medical care in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
They were transported to Kyiv to undergo initial investigative procedures. They are being held in proper conditions that comply with international law.
Interrogations are being conducted with the help of interpreters. According to both detainees, they were captured by Ukrainian forces during their very first combat mission – SBU informed.
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One of the individuals, an unemployed man born in 1991, was reportedly recruited by a Russian representative directly in China. He arrived in Moscow in February 2025 and signed a contract.
The other, born in 1998, came to Russia in December 2024 supposedly for tourism. According to his account, while in Russia, he responded to an online advertisement offering military service and a payment of 2 million rubles, after which he applied to sign a contract.
The SBU is currently verifying the prisonersâ statements and conducting further investigative actions to establish the full extent of the Chinese nationalsâ involvement in Russiaâs war against Ukraine.
The investigation is being carried out under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General, in accordance with Article 438 of Ukraineâs Criminal Code (war crimes).
