The Ukrainian President Zelenskyj says at a press conference that the country "is gathering information" about Chinese combatants on Ukrainian soil.
We believe there are many more, he says after stating that there is evidence of 155 soldiers.
For these 155, there is information from passports, where they come from, their Chinese documents, their age and so on, he says according to the newspaper The Kyiv Independent.
On Tuesday, Zelenskyj announced that two Chinese nationals had been captured in connection with battles in Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
The President says he is ready to exchange the two Chinese nationals for Ukrainian soldiers in a prisoner swap.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing does not deny that two Chinese nationals have been detained by Ukrainian forces, but calls the allegations of many Chinese soldiers "completely groundless".
The Chinese government has always asked its citizens to avoid conflict areas and involvement in armed conflicts in all forms, says spokesperson Lin Jian.
China has, according to its own statement, maintained a neutral stance towards the war in Ukraine. Diplomatically and economically, however, Beijing has given Moscow significant support since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Ukraine has summoned China's chargé d'affaires to demand an explanation for the presence of the two captured Chinese nationals in Ukraine.
During the war, mercenaries from a variety of countries have fought on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides.
