China vs Ukraine: Is a New Conflict on the Horizon?

 Ukraine Flouts Humanitarian Law, Exposes Identities Of Chinese Prisoners Of War To Prove Beijing Wrong

China has repeatedly denied the involvement of its citizens in the Russia-Ukraine war, to counter which Kyiv flouted the international humanitarian law and exposed the identities of POWs.

In a brazen violation of international humanitarian law, Ukraine paraded the Chinese prisoners of war and exposed them to the media, in a move that could possibly irk Beijing, which has earlier denied the involvement of its nationals in the Ukraine war.

The move by Ukraine comes at a time when Donald Trump's support has been decreasing and Russia is increasing its ante in the three-year war that has no end in sight. China has time and again denied the involvement of its citizens in fighting with the Russians against Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, recently stated that 155 Chinese nationals were fighting against Ukraine on its soil, two of whom were held in eastern Donetsk. China had refuted the claims.

With his permission, the Ukrainian military paraded them and revealed their identities as POWs. It is against the law, according to international humanitarian law, to reveal the identities of prisoners of war and expose them in front of television cameras. However, in response to China's assertions that none of its citizens were involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Zelenskyy authorized this flagrant disregard for the law. The Chinese POWs were made to sit in front of the media. The International Committee of the Red Cross protects the prisoners of war and also bars a country from revealing them in front of the media.

Zelenskyy had last week said that Russia was dragging China, which has been silently backing Moscow in the conflict, into the war. He also lashed out at Beijing for allowing the recruitment of its citizens into the Russian army.

China’s Response To Zelenskyy

The Foreign Ministry of China stated, “We would like to reiterate that China is not the initiator of the Ukrainian crisis, nor is China a participating party. We urge the relevant parties concerned to correctly and soberly understand the role of China and to “not release irresponsible remarks."

According to CNN, which was allowed to meet the Chinese prisoners of war, the captives were brought into a room where the press conference was held. They were dressed in army gear. The media was allowed to ask them questions, and the prisoners were given a chance to talk about what they had gone through.

A translator stood next to them, translating the questions for the prisoners, who answered in Mandarin (Chinese). Armed Ukrainian guards kept a close watch on them during the entire briefing.

CNN chose not to identify the men, but they stated that money played a significant role in their decisions. One of them shared that he had lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic and was struggling to earn. He stated that the monthly salary of 250,000 rubles, or approximately $3,500, offered by Russia was more than double what he could earn in his home country.