CAPTURED Chinese troops who were fighting for Russia claim they were “fed lies” about the strength of Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Wang Guangjun and Zhang Renbo were the first Chinese nationals to be captured while fighting in the war against Ukraine a few weeks ago – and have since revealed humiliating truths of Russia’s army.
Zhang Renbo (L) and Wang Guangjun (R), Chinese nationals fighting alongside Russian troops, and who were captured by Ukrainian soldiers, attend a press conference in Kyiv[/caption]
The pair were captured in the Donetsk region[/caption]
Footage was released of two Chinese nationals who were captured by Ukraine in early April[/caption]
Wearing military gear and handcuffed, the pair revealed at a Ukrainian briefing that Russia “fed us lies,” adding that “they’re fake”.
The two Chinese nationals even say that “Russia isn’t as strong as they claim, and Ukraine isn’t as backwards as they say” in a humiliating blow to Putin.
Ukraine President Zelensky had initially demanded Beijing to explain why Chinese soldiers were discovered to be fighting for Russia.
But Wang and Zhang clarified that they weren’t fighting on behalf of China, nor did they have links to Chinese state authorities.
Instead, Wang revealed that he was bizarrely recruited through a TikTok advertisement as he flicked through his feed.
Zelensky has claimed previously that Russia was seeking to recruit Chinese fighters by openly advertising on TikTok and other Chinese social networks.
Having lost his job last summer, Wang became interested in joining the Russian troops – especially after a recruiter told him he could earn around £1,500-£2,500, or 250,000 Russian roubles, per month.
Wang also received the offer to have his travel covered and was told he’d be helped in obtaining the necessary documents to enter mad Vlad’s army.
The financial offer, partnered with Putin’s military service being seen as “prestigious” in China, led Wang to join Russian troops on the frontline.
He explained that, to get there, he took various coaches and minibuses to Kazan, south-west Russia, before moving through Rostov-on-Don.
Wang Guangjun revealed he was recuired through a TikTok advertisement[/caption]
The Chinese passports that were reportedly retrieved from them[/caption]
A Bohdana self-propelled howitzer is fired towards Russian troops at an undisclosed location on the Donetsk frontline[/caption]
Soon after, Wang entered eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region where he then enlisted in the army with Zhang.
Wang said that the pay he was promised never materialised, adding that the Russians took his bank card and phone away so he couldn’t even check if he was receiving the cash while at war.
Similarly, Zhang said he was in Russia as a tourist in December when he saw an army advert, with £18,400 offered to become one of Putin’s troops.
Wang and Zhang were captured in Donetsk, immediately after they arrived on the frontline, they claim.
The pair say they hadn’t killed any Ukrainian troops.
At the briefing, Wang and Zhang described the dire conditions inside the Russian camps, with a lack of water and electricity.
Wang said that despite him and fellow troops working until the early hours of the morning, they were only given “a pinch of raw rice” to eat.
After being taken captive by a Ukrainian soldier, Wang said he was targeted by Russian “chemical weapons” and was hastily taken to a dugout.
Ukrainian rescuers work on the scene following a Russian drone attack on an office building in downtown Kharkiv, eastern Ukraine[/caption]
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks at a joint press conference in early April[/caption]
Zhang Renbo, a Chinese national fighting alongside Russian troops, and who was captured by Ukrainian soldiers[/caption]
The heroic Ukrainian troop helped Wang survive what he called a “spray gas” attack.
He told reporters: “I was losing my strength and fainting. Then I felt someone grabbing my collar and pulling me out into the fresh air.
“[Ukrainian] soldiers protected us and have been treating us well this whole time.”
Despite the pair expecting punishment upon their return to China, they said this hadn’t stopped them from wanting to go home.
Wang said: “I understand that punishment is possible and I am prepared for it, because it’s clear that for participating in war and such actions, there can be consequences. Still, I want to return home to my family.
“For those Chinese compatriots who wish to join the war against Ukraine, I just want to say – don’t join this war.”
He added: “It turned out that Russia is not that strong, and Ukraine is not that weak. That’s why it’s better not to participate in wars at all.”
Wang also claims that he was put in a Kazan camp with people of other nationalities, potentially from Central Asia, Ghana, and Iraq.
It’s known that Russia has enlisted fighters from other countries including India, Nepal and Syria in a pathetic attempt to grasp control of Ukraine.
Thousands of troops from North Korea also joined the war to support Russia against Ukraine.
Ukraine captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region back in January.
Zelensky fumed last week that there were at least 155 Chinese nationals battling for Russia in the bloody war, which Beijing dismissed as an “irresponsible” claim.
China has denied that some of its citizens are in the Russian army and advises nationals to “avoid participating in military operations of any party,” adding that it is a “staunch supporter” of peace in Ukraine.
