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Russian Army Ads Are Luring Chinese Nationals With Promises of $27,000 to Join War in Ukraine
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
Russia is reportedly using Chinese social media to spread propaganda aimed at recruiting Chinese citizens to fight in its war against Ukraine. The Guardian reported this on April 10, after reviewing and analyzing several such videos.
Numerous recruitment videos were found by the agency on Chinese social media, all highlighting generous pay as a major incentive—sign-on bonuses ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 RMB ($8,200 to $27,300) and monthly salaries of around 18,000 RMB ($2,400).
One video, which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views across various platforms, appears to be a Russian military recruitment ad with Chinese subtitles. It shows Caucasian men leaving their day jobs to join the war, accompanied by a message to viewers: “Do you want to show your strength here? Is this the path you’ve been longing for? You’re a tough man, be like them!”
In another video, a Russian influencer speaks to her more than 300,000 followers in Chinese, promoting the financial perks of joining the Russian army. She highlights sign-up bonuses, monthly payments from the Russian government and military, as well as benefits like housing, healthcare, and childcare support.
“Trained by experienced coaches, equipped with the best professional equipment. In Moscow, anyone under 60 years old can sign up, regardless of whether they have served in foreign military service. Foreign and Russian citizens can sign up voluntarily,” she says.
Reactions to these videos online have been mixed, especially in response to posts from Chinese users claiming they’ve signed up. Some commenters asked how they could join, while others wondered whether not speaking Russian would be a barrier.
Many users pointed out that the wages offered were significantly higher than what they earned in China. At the same time, comments warning that recruits were signing up to be “cannon fodder” were widespread.
On April 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukrainian forces had captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russian forces in the Donetsk region. According to Zelenskyy, the detainees’ documents and belongings were recovered, and they are currently in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Later Ukrainian intelligence stated that over 150 Chinese nationals have joined the Russian military to fight against Ukraine.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on April 9 that Beijing was in the process of verifying the situation with Ukrainian authorities.
“Such claim has no basis in facts. China’s position on the issue of the Ukraine crisis is very clear and is widely recognized by the international community.”
