A Chinese man fighting for the Russian Army claims his superiors locked him in a dark steel-barred pit, with barely enough room to stand, for 21 days. His offense, he said, was a dispute with his commander over lifesaving protective gear. <\/p>\n
Michael, not his real name, said he joined Russia\u2019s fight against Ukraine to \u201chave a taste for military life abroad\u201d but after a brutal year on the frontlines is now convinced enlisting in Vladimir Putin\u2019s army was \u201ca mistake.\u201d <\/p>\n
His experience in the pit, where the 29-year-old said he could barely lift his head, killed his desire to fight for Moscow and he wants to send a message home to other Chinese nationals contemplating joining Russia\u2019s fight. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have to speak out some truths and warn those irrational Chinese \u2013 don\u2019t come over here,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe world\u2019s number two military is a sheer joke,\u201d Michael said, listing subpar equipment, inadequate logistics, mistreatment and \u201csevere corruption\u201d as issues within the military, complaints that have been widely documented since the war began. <\/p>\n
Both Ukraine and Russia have used foreign fighters to bolster their forces. But the issue of Chinese mercenaries fighting for Russia was thrust into the global spotlight when Ukraine\u2019s President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed two Chinese fighters had been captured by Ukraine in early April and claimed there were \u201cmany more\u201d in Russia\u2019s ranks. <\/p>\n
Zelensky demanded answers from Beijing which, in turn, denied any involvement and repeated previous calls for Chinese citizens to \u201crefrain from participating in military actions of any party.\u201d <\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s deputy foreign minister called the claims Chinese citizens were fighting in Ukraine a \u201ccomplete untruth,\u201d according to TASS, a Russian state media agency. Days later Ukraine paraded the Chinese fighters it captured in front of the media. <\/p>\n
Chinese men have been targeted on social media by recruitment ads to join Russia on the frontlines fighting Ukraine. <\/p>\n
The videos are all in Russian but come with Chinese translations. One carried Chinese subtitles saying: \u201cAren\u2019t you a man? Be a real man!\u201d It is not clear who made the translations. <\/p>\n