Video of Russians recruiting Chinese to fight in Ukraine is published on Chinese social media - Guardian
Chinese social media, which are subject to strict and rapid censorship, allow Russians to use them for their own purposes. In particular, to publish videos that campaign for participation in Russia's war with Ukraine.
According to Censor.NET, The Guardian writes about this.
"Some videos are slickly produced Russian propaganda about being "tough" men; some sound more like influencer advertisements for a working holiday. Others are cobbled-together screenshots by regular citizens about to leave China. But they all have one thing in common: selling the benefits of becoming a Chinese mercenary for Russia," the article states.
It is pointed out that many videos created to recruit Chinese citizens can be easily found on Chinese social media. All of them talk about a monthly salary of 18 thousand yuan (at the exchange rate of 11 April, a little more than 2.4 thousand dollars), as well as one-time bonuses in the event of signing a contract in the amount of 60 to 200 thousand yuan (from 8.2 to about 27.3 thousand dollars).
One video, which has had hundreds of thousands of views across different platforms, appears to be a Russian recruitment ad with Chinese subtitles overlaid. It shows men leaving their day jobs to fight and asks viewers: "Do you want to show strength here? Is this the path that you long for? You are a tough man, be like them!"
Another popular video is by someone claiming to have already been recruited.
"Due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, I’m heading there after the new year," the hero of video said in December, over screenshots with information about how to sign up.
In another clip, a Russian influencer speaks to her more than 300,000 followers in Mandarin, advertising the financial benefits of joining Russia’s army, with sign-on bonuses and monthly payments from the Russian government and military as well as housing benefits and medical and childcare.
Responses varied, especially to the posts by Chinese people saying they were signing up. Some asked how they could be involved, or if not speaking Russian was a barrier. Many noted higher wages being offered than what they earned in China. Comments that people were signing up to be "cannon fodder" are common.
Three weeks ago, the Chinese journalist and author Chai Jing interviewed a Chinese citizen who joined Russian forces in November 2023 by flying to Russia on a tourist visa. The man told her he was in Bakhmut as part of an "assault team" near the frontlines. He said money played a part in his decision to join, but he was driven mainly by never having experienced war despite being a member of China’s military.
He suggested he could have joined either side, but there were more Chinese fighters on the Russian side, probably because visas were easier to obtain, but also because they felt Russia was helping China. But he wanted to show people at home what the "brutal" reality was like.
"I realised I might die here one day, so I decided to share some real experiences since China’s people haven’t been through a war for a long time," he said, adding that he hoped China would plan a stable role and "refrain from starting or joining wars".
The magazine states that the fact that recruitment posts are online – and have remained there for up to several months suggests that at best there has not been a concerted effort by authorities to address them. China’s social media are strictly monitored and controlled, with fast and effective censorship of sensitive or critical terms and topics.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian defenders captured two Chinese nationals in the Donetsk region They fought as part of the Russian army.
According to the president, the Ukrainian Armed Forces engaged in a battle with six Chinese in the Donetsk region near the settlements of Tarasivka and Bilohorivka, after which two were taken prisoner.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine summoned the Charge d'Affaires of China because of the participation of Chinese citizens in Russia's war against Ukraine on the side of Russia.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the US is aware that Ukraine has captured two Chinese citizens who fought on the side of Russia.
