Ukraine war briefing: Chinese making drones in Russia, Zelenskyy says
www.theguardian.com
Wed, 23 Apr 2025 03:12:51 +0300
Technology might be stolen and work not approved by Beijing, president says as Ukrainian foreign ministry summons Chinas ambassador.
What we know on day 1,155Ukraines foreign ministry has summoned Beijings ambassador as Volodymyr Zelenskyy said citizens of China were working at a drone production site in Russia, possibly using stolen Chinese technology.
The Ukrainian president said on Tuesday I asked the Security Service of Ukraine to transfer information of a broader nature to the Chinese side regarding Chinese citizens who work at the drone factory, he said.
We believe that it may be that Russia stole made an agreement with these citizens outside the agreements with the Chinese leadership stole these technologies.Beijings ambassador, Ma Shengkun, was summoned over the allegations, as well as evidence of Chinese citizens fighting in the Russian army.
Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Yevhen Perebyinis stressed that the participation of Chinese citizens in hostilities against Ukraine on the side of the aggressor state, as well as the involvement of Chinese companies in the production of military products in Russia, are of serious concern and contradict the spirit of partnership between Ukraine and China, said a Ukrainian statement on Tuesday.
Perebyinis called on the Chinese side to take measures to stop supporting Russia in its aggression against Ukraine, the absence of which has been repeatedly stated by Beijing.Beijing had not responded to the latest claims at time of writing.
Zelenskyy said on Thursday of last week that Ukrainian intelligence showed China was supplying weapons to Russia, including gunpowder and artillery, and that Chinese representatives were involved in weapons production on Russian territory.
China dismissed this as groundless, but Tuesdays statements by Zelenskyy made good on a promise to provide details this week.
Two alleged Chinese soldiers have been caught by Ukraine and shown to the press, and Zelenskyy has said there at least 155 Chinese nationals operating on Russias side.
The Chinese government has consistently denied providing military support to Russia or taking its side in the war.Representatives from Ukraine, the UK, France, and the US will meet in London on Wednesday to continue talks on a potential ceasefire.
Media reports have suggested the US is promoting a peace deal that heavily favours Russia.
Donald Trumps Ukraine envoy, Gen Keith Kellogg, will attend the discussions, according to a US state department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce.
Contrary to a previous announcement, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, will not be attending.
Even though he is the administrations Ukraine envoy, Kellogg has been largely sidelined from the publicised peace talks that the US has been holding separately with Russia and Ukraine.David Lammy, the UK foreign secretary, will host the US and European negotiators in London.
On Wednesday there was speculation that Russia has told Washington it might be willing to drop its claim to parts of Ukraine it does not occupy, write Dan Harding and Luke Sabbagh, giving rise to a ceasefire along roughly the existing frontlines.
Russia has been demanding that Ukraine hand over the entirety of four eastern and southern regions its forces only partly occupy.Russian overnight drone attacks on east, south and central Ukraine damaged civilian infrastructure and businesses in the Poltava region and injured two civilians in the Odesa region, Ukrainian officials said early on Wednesday.
Air defence units were also at work in the Kyiv region and in Ukraines secondlargest city, Kharkiv, regional governors posted.Russia hit a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Myrnograd with drones on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding two, authorities said.
One person was reported dead and 23 wounded after two bombs hit the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regions governor said.
Russian strikes wounded another six people in the southern city of Kherson and seven in Kharkiv in the northeast, officials said.
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