Chinese nationals fighting for Russia in Ukraine are mercenaries-US officials

By Erin Banco, Jonathan Landay and Michael Martina

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than one hundred Chinese citizens fighting for the Russian military against Ukraine are mercenaries who do not appear to have a direct link to China's government, two U.S. officials familiar with American intelligence and a former Western intelligence official said.

Chinese military officers have, however, been in the theater behind Russia's lines with Beijing's approval to draw tactical lessons from the war, the former official told Reuters.

The head of U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific, Admiral Samuel Paparo, confirmed on Wednesday that Ukrainian forces had captured two men of Chinese origin in eastern Ukraine after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country had information about 155 Chinese citizens fighting there on Russia's behalf.

China, which has declared a "no-limits" partnership with Russia and has refrained from criticizing Moscow's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, had called Zelenskiy's remarks "irresponsible" and said China was not a party to the war.

The U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Chinese fighters appear to have minimal training and are not having any discernable impact on Russia's military operations.

The CIA, the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Security Council, as well as China's embassy in Washington, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

The former Western intelligence official with knowledge of the issue told Reuters there were about 200 Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia with whom the Chinese government has no link.

But Chinese military officers have, with Beijing's approval, been touring close to Russia's frontlines to draw lessons and tactics from the war. The officers "are absolutely there under approval," the former official said.

China has for years provided Moscow with material support to help aid its war against Ukraine, primarily in the shipment of dual-use products – components needed to maintain weapons such as drones and tanks.

Beijing has also supplied Russia with lethal drones to use on the battlefield. In October, the Biden administration sanctioned for the first time two Chinese companies for providing the weapons systems to Moscow.

Volunteers from Western countries, including the U.S., have been fighting for Ukraine since the early days of the war, and North Korea has deployed more than 12,000 troops to support Russian forces, thousands of whom have been killed or injured in combat.

(Reporting by Erin Banco, Michael Martina and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Don Durfee and Deepa Babington)