Russian opposition media outlets have provided additional details about Russia's efforts to recruit Chinese citizens to serve in Ukraine following Ukrainian reports of Chinese citizens fighting in Ukraine.
On April 11, the Russian opposition publication "Important Stories", citing official documentation and data on the recruitment of contract servicemen from June 2023 to May 2024, reported that Russian military registration and enlistment offices in the Moscow Region processed at least 51 Chinese citizens applying to serve in the Russian army between June 2023 and - May 2024.
This is summarized in its daily analysis by the "Institute for the Study of War" (ISW).
"Important Stories" writes that most of the Chinese citizens came to Moscow shortly before signing military service contracts, with some of them arriving in pairs at the military recruitment point.
In addition, at least four Chinese citizens returned to the People's Republic of China (PRC) after visiting the military recruitment point.
"Important Stories" also reported that several Chinese citizens had returned to their homeland after completing their one-year term of service in the Russian Ministry of Defense.
One of the former professional soldiers who returned to China in March 2024 told "Important Stories" that he had complained about poor medical care in the Russian army to the Beijing embassy in Moscow.
This indicates that some Chinese diplomats may be aware that Chinese citizens are participating in military operations in Ukraine.
On April 10, the British newspaper "The Guardian" reported that the Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) was distributing recruitment advertisements for the Russian army on Chinese social media.
"The Guardian" notes that numerous recruitment ads on Chinese social media advertise salaries ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 Chinese yuan (approximately $8,200 to $27,300).
The fact that many of these mercenary recruitment ads and videos featuring Chinese influencers are on local social platforms may suggest that official Beijing is either unwilling or uninterested in combating disinformation campaigns.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently said that Russian authorities are actively using Chinese social media to mobilize Chinese citizens.
The Russian Ministry of Defense appears to be recruiting contract servicemen at an accelerated pace. The Russian opposition newspaper "Verstka" reported on April 11 that statistics from the Unified Selection Point show that monthly rates of recruitment of contract soldiers almost doubled in late March and early April 2025 compared to January 2025.
"Verstka" notes that in mid-March 2025 there was a sharp increase in the rate of recruitment of military personnel after Russian forces captured most of the Ukrainian Gulf in the Kursk region, and reports that since the beginning of 2025 More than 6,300 people have signed military service contracts. An unnamed Russian recruiter told Verstka that money is still the most common motivating factor for new recruits. An unnamed Russian source from Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin's office told Verstka that Russian authorities are trying to attract new conscripts with increased patriotic appeals rather than financial incentives, indicating that Russian authorities may need to develop different recruitment strategies based on other motivating factors due to Russia's deepening economic restrictions. An unnamed source close to the Moscow Metro management told Verstka that Russian authorities and military recruitment organizations are stepping up recruitment campaigns and opened new points on April 1. for military recruitment at several subway stations.