The Guardian: Volunteers From China Are Helping Ukraine
- 30.09.2026, 10:43
- 1,374
In some areas, they are the best.
Many Ukrainian military units have their own brands and public profiles, as they compete with one another for funding and new recruits. Chinese volunteers serve in one of these units, according to The Guardian.
The commander of a unit specializing in intelligence asked that its name not be disclosed due to the sensitive nature of the project involving Chinese fighters.
“This is first and foremost for their own sake. For their own safety and the safety of their families,” said the commander, known by the call sign Muza.
Specifically, Tim, who asked to be referred to by his English name, is the lead volunteer in a Ukrainian military unit that launched an unusual project this year—recruiting soldiers from a country considered Russia’s closest ally: China.
It is well known that the Chinese authorities closely monitor their citizens. The country’s laws do not explicitly prohibit citizens from joining foreign armed forces, but several Chinese volunteers in Ukraine have reported that security services have questioned them or their relatives about their activities.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the ministry had issued a series of security warnings “to urge Chinese citizens to stay as far away as possible from areas of armed conflict… and, in particular, to avoid participating in military operations on either side.”
At the same time, some fear that Chinese soldiers in Ukraine may be providing Beijing with valuable military intelligence. In particular, an officer from another brigade emphasized that he would “think twice” before accepting anyone from China into his ranks.
However, this does not concern Muza.
“In this situation, anyone will do for us commanders and the Ukrainian people. After all, we’re short on manpower,” he added.
According to him, the Chinese are working hard. Tim’s main task in the unit is repairing drones. In a single week, he repaired about 10 Mavic drones and 15 first-person view (FPV) drones. Muza joked that, given this kind of work, “it’s better to have one Chinese person than 10 Ukrainians.”
The journalists also reported on a 36-year-old man from Hubei Province in central China who joined the unit in the summer. The publication refers to him as Vanya.
He noted that life in China had become “stifling.” According to the man, the decision to come to Ukraine “was not sudden.”
“It was the result of many factors that had built up over time: my weariness with my former life, my longing for democracy and freedom, and my views on Ukraine,” Vanya emphasized.
For his part, Nero, a 37-year-old man from Fujian Province, had been posting online in support of Ukraine for years, becoming a well-known influencer. Several of his accounts were deleted; Nero says this happened because of his pro-Ukrainian views.
“I thought: the world shouldn’t be like this. Why should I suffer or go through all this just for telling the truth?” he asked.
Until recently, Nero was a project manager with a decent salary in China, but now he’s training to be an FPV drone pilot.
“I want people to know: not all Chinese people support Russia’s aggression. Many Chinese people, like me, are well-meaning and want to help Ukraine,” he said.
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