Kyiv's forces capture Chinese men fighting in Ukraine - as Zelenskyy demands reaction from US

Got a question for Michael Clarke?

Let's start with Ukraine, where things have been more transparent.

We know there are hundreds - if not thousands - of volunteer fighters from abroad in Ukraine's ranks.

They're in what's called the International Legion, which is about a battalion-size group - with "maybe 500 or 600", according to our military analyst Michael Clarke.

Many of them are from Western countries, including the US, Canada and the UK, heading to Ukraine "out of a sense of commitment", Clarke said.

There's also no secret to the West's more formal support ever since Russia invaded more than three years ago.

From weapons to funding and to intelligence sharing, Ukraine's resistance has benefited hugely from Western backing.

Things are more opaque on the Russian side.

Moscow has never admitted to 12,000 North Koreans fighting on Russian territory or to recruiting people from all over the world.

They are entitled - legally speaking - to have North Koreans fighting in Kursk, where Ukraine launched a stunning incursion last summer.

It's an entirely different matter if foreign troops are found to have fought in Ukrainian territory, Clarke added.

If today's developments are found to be under the orders of Beijing, it would mean the Chinese are "sending individuals to fight in a contested area to join an invasion of a foreign country", Clarke points out.

More than eight months on from Ukraine's stunning incursion into the Russian region of Kursk, Moscow may be on the verge of reclaiming their territory.

The regional governor and state media claim forces have seized the settlement of Guyevo, releasing a video showing smoke rising from various buildings.

Reuters news agency said it has verified the location of the footage from file and satellite imagery of the area, but not the date.

Ukraine has not yet commented.

Russia has retaken a swath of territory in Kursk over recent weeks, pushing Ukrainian forces closer towards the border.

Alexander Khinshtein, the region's governor appointed by Vladimir Putin in December, said raising Russia's flag in Guyevo means its forces are on course to regain total control "very soon".

The state TASS news agency said Russian forces have two more settlements to recapture - Gornal and Oleshnya - in order to retake the entire region.

Beijing has claimed neutrality since the start of the war, but as our military analyst Michael Clarke points out - we know they have been a key supplier for Russia.

They buy oil, Clarke says, in greater volumes than they actually need to help Russia's balance of payments.

And they've been a source of key technologies after the West's sweeping sanctions on Moscow.

It's all led to the US and NATO describing China as an enabler of Russia in the war.

Despite that, China has offered to help with peace talks and even put together a plan to end the war - though this remained vague and was dismissed by most observers.

Foreign minister Wang Yi went to Moscow little more than a week ago for talks with his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss Donald Trump's proposal to end the war.

The leaders of both nations - Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin - have a close relationship, which is reflected in the countries' diplomatic ties.

However, China has not knowingly provided Russia with weapons or any military expertise.

That's why today's development is significant - even if it isn't clear if they were operating on the orders of the Chinese leadership.

Ukraine's foreign minister says he has summoned China's charge d'affaires to the ministry to demand an explanation for Chinese men fighting in the country.

Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X that the presence of Chinese citizens "fighting as part of Russia's invasion army" puts into question China's declared stance for peace.

He said it also "undermines Beijing's credibility as a responsible permanent member of the UN Security Council".

We still don't know for certain if the Chinese men captured in Ukraine have any affiliation to the Chinese state, or if they were operating under orders from Beijing.

Nevertheless, this incident brings the relationship between Russia and China into sharp focus, says our international correspondent John Sparks.

He says the use of North Korean troops shows Moscow has "serious manpower problems" and that there are likely arguments in Russia to use "any personnel they can possibly get, even if they're from China".

"I think that throws the relationship between Russia and China into real concentration here. What is the nature of their relationship when it comes to the war in Ukraine? 

"Officially at least, the Chinese have said that they respect Ukrainian sovereignty and in the past they have made efforts, they say to, encourage mediation between the two sides.

"A couple of months ago, though, Putin and Xi Jinping had a very warm phone call. Xi Jinping said that their partnership was a 'no-limits' partnership. They are very close. And this could be indicative of that."

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says the two Chinese men were captured in Donetsk in the east of Ukraine, though gave no further details.

This is the current territorial situation in the region, which Russia occupies and illegally annexed along with Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia in September 2022, seven months after the full-scale invasion. 

And here's the latest territory maps covering the rest of Ukraine, including the Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod, which have seen increased fighting.

Starting with a wider map of Ukraine, scroll to see each region of the frontline in focus, moving anti-clockwise from Zaporizhzhia region all the way round to northeastern Ukraine.

Along with a post shared on X in the past few minutes, Volodymyr Zelenskyy also uploaded a video appearing to show a Chinese prisoner in Ukrainian custody.

We're not sharing that video here to protect his identity, but we have blurred grabs from it and can describe what the 23-second video shows.

Wearing military overalls, the man can be seen making explosion sounds and pointing in the air as if shooting.

It's not clear what exactly he is describing, but he appears to say "boom" at least a couple of times and can be heard saying "commander".

He has his hands tied and seems to be surrounded by soldiers somewhere indoors.

We've just been getting reaction to this breaking story from military analyst Michael Clarke.

He says there will be different consequences for the war in Ukraine depending on the identity and allegiances of the Chinese soldiers captured.

"If they are just Chinese individuals who are fighting effectively as mercenaries, then that's obviously embarrassing to China. But in a way, it goes no further than that," he says.

"But if it's the case that they are there in some informal but Chinese capacity as advisers, or they've got some sort of function as special forces, that would be very serious indeed because China has always said that it doesn't help Russia in this war."

Clarke says if the soldiers are operating on Chinese state orders, it would cross "quite a big legal line" and be "very, very embarrassing" for Beijing.

"That would mean that the Chinese are sending individuals to fight in a contested area to join an invasion of a foreign country," he says.

"The Chinese would pretend that that isn't the truth, that isn't the truth. And the Russians would say that Donetsk is Russian territory, but legally, of course, it isn't. 

"It's Ukrainian territory, and it has been since 1991."

In a post on messaging app Telegram, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has information there are "many more" Chinese citizens among Russia's forces.

Here's his translated statement in full:

Our military captured two Chinese citizens who fought in the Russian army. This happened on the territory of Ukraine - in the Donetsk region. We have the documents of these prisoners, bank cards and personal data.

We have information that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units than just two. We are now finding out all the facts. Intelligence, the Security Service, and the relevant units of the Armed Forces are working.

I have instructed the Ukrainian foreign affairs minister to immediately contact Beijing and find out how China is going to respond to this.

Russia's involvement of China in this war in Europe, directly or indirectly, is a clear signal that Putin is going to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue the war. This definitely requires a reaction. A reaction from the United States, Europe, and everyone in the world who wants peace.

The captured Chinese citizens are in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Relevant investigative and operational actions are under way.