The Joint Staff explained why the captured Chinese mercenaries have not yet been exchanged
Two Chinese citizens who fought on the side of the Russian Federation and were taken prisoner in the spring of 2025 remain in an SBU detention center. The Russian side has shown no interest in their fate and has not included any foreigners—except for North Koreans—on its prisoner exchange lists.
This was reported in an interview with Ukrinform by Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
According to the Geneva Convention, responsibility for such fighters lies with the state on whose side they participated in the armed conflict. Currently, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are compiling evidence to determine the status of these individuals: whether they were career military personnel, contract soldiers, or mercenaries. Authorities are also investigating the possibility that the prisoners may be ethnic Chinese with Russian citizenship who resided in the eastern regions of the Russian Federation.
The situation is complicated by the fact that China criminalizes mercenary activity, so the return of these citizens to their homeland could result in prison terms for them. Ukraine continues to hold the prisoners in appropriate conditions in accordance with international standards, awaiting requests from official representatives or the results of identification. The fate of foreign mercenaries serving in the Russian armed forces remains uncertain due to the Kremlin leadership’s disregard for their rights.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that in the Donetsk sector, Ukrainian soldiers engaged in combat with six Chinese soldiers, two of whom were taken prisoner. Zelenskyy insists on urgent discussions of this situation with partners.
According to Zelenskyy, Ukraine has data on a total of 155 Chinese citizens fighting on Russia’s side. And there are certainly many more. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Chinese chargé d’affaires to condemn the participation of Chinese citizens in the war and demand an explanation.
