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Russia Prioritizes North Korean POWs in Ukraine War Talks While Ignoring Chinese Fighters
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russia has repeatedly expressed interest in exchanging only two captured North Korean nationals held by Ukraine, while showing no engagement regarding other foreign fighters detained on Ukrainian territory, according to Ukrainian officials.
The statement was made by Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in an interview with Ukrinform on May 4.
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“Sometimes we have to persuade them to take back their own citizens. This also applies to foreigners who fought for Russia. We already have a significant number of them in captivity. In the negotiation process, the Russian side shows no interest in them. There has not been a single request from Russia, except for North Koreans. On several occasions, they asked whether we were ready to hand over specifically the North Koreans,” Okhrimenko said.
He added that the legal status and potential transfer of the two North Korean prisoners remains a sensitive issue under international humanitarian law.
“If diplomats and lawyers find a mechanism that meets these requirements, we are ready to consider such proposals. Ukraine has ratified the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions and must comply with them, because Russia, despite not adhering to them itself, could falsely accuse us of violating international humanitarian law and creating a precedent in this matter,” he said.
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Okhrimenko also referred to the principle of non-refoulement under the Third Geneva Convention, noting that prisoners of war cannot be forcibly returned against their will.
“If a prisoner of war does not want to return and there is no other mechanism, we will hold them for as long as necessary until this issue is resolved,” he said.
Despite Russia’s interest in the captured North Korean soldiers, it has shown no comparable engagement regarding Chinese nationals. Two Chinese citizens captured in spring last year remain in the custody of Ukraine’s Security Service, while Moscow has not expressed any interest in including them in prisoner exchanges.
“Russia has not inquired about any foreign nationals except North Koreans,” Okhrimenko said, when asked about potential exchange requests involving Chinese prisoners.
According to him, the captured Chinese citizens were fighting on Russia’s side, while China is not a party to the war. Under the Geneva Conventions, responsibility for combatants lies with the state on whose behalf they fought.
“If there is criminal liability for mercenary activity in China, then their citizens who participated in an armed conflict on the side of a third state may face prosecution upon return. Were these individuals part of the Russian armed forces, were they under contract, or were they deployed? To answer this, an evidentiary basis is required. And knowing Russia’s behaviour in such matters, I would not be surprised if it turns out they are Chinese citizens with Russian passports, as is common in certain regions of Russia,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to footage shared by Ukraine’s 77th Airmobile Brigade, Ukrainian paratroopers rescued a wounded Peruvian national who claims he was forced into combat by the Russian military.
The 41-year-old man, interviewed in a video released by the brigade—a unit within the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces—recounted how he was originally drawn to Moscow by the prospect of a job. However, the man stated that this supposed employment opportunity quickly shifted into coerced military service.
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