ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukrainian troops in northeastern Ukraine were fighting foreign “mercenaries” from various countries including China, Pakistan and parts of Africa, and vowed a response.
Zelensky has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters for its war effort against Ukraine, charges Beijing denied, while North Korea has also provided thousands of its own troops in Russia’s Kursk region.
“We spoke with commanders about the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles,” Zelensky wrote on social media after visiting a frontline area in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
“Our warriors in this sector are reporting the participation of mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and African countries in the war. We will respond.”
About China, it is not new because President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier on April 8, alleged that Ukrainian defenders managed to capture two Chinese citizens who were fighting on the side of Russia in the Donetsk region. Ukraine claimed, on June 27, that another Chinese national was captured. He was 24-year-old Wang Wu. China strictly denied the allegations.
At the time of reporting, there was no comment from the additional countries accused by Zelenskyy of joining Russia’s war effort. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford said there was no way of verifying Zelenskyy’s claims.
Conversely, he added, “lots of foreign fighters” had also volunteered to fight for Ukraine and were still on the front lines.
Zelenskyy had met front-line fighters with Ukraine’s 17th Separate Motorised Infantry Battalion of the 57th Brigade near the front-line town of Vovchansk. He said in a post in X that he had held discussions with commanders on “the frontline situation, the defence of Vovchansk, and the dynamics of the battles”, and was also looking at “drone supply and deployment, recruitment, and direct funding for the brigades”.
As Ukraine battled to repel Russian forces in the Kharkiv region, its troops were also engaged in “ongoing heavy fighting” around the town of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, said Stratford.
Reuters contacted the embassies of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan in Kyiv to request comment. Russia did not immediately comment publicly on Zelenskiy’s comments.
Pakistan Rejects Baseless and Unfounded Allegations of the Involvement of Pakistani Nationals in the Conflict in Ukraine
The Government of Pakistan categorically rejects the baseless and unfounded allegations of the involvement of Pakistani nationals in the conflict in Ukraine. To date, Pakistan has not been formally approached by the Ukrainian authorities, nor has any verifiable evidence been presented to substantiate such claims.
Government of Pakistan shall take up this matter with the Ukrainian authorities, and seek clarification in this regard.
Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict through dialogue and diplomacy, in accordance with the principles of the UN Charter.
