Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service head Oleh Ivashchenko accused China of providing critical materials, including chemicals and tech components, to Russian factories — an allegation China dismissed on Tuesday as “political manipulation.”
Ivashchenko made his accusations in an interview published by the Ukrainian state outlet Ukrinform on Monday. The Ukrainian government under President Volodymyr Zelensky invested significant diplomatic capital during the early months of the full-scale Russian invasion courting Chinese support, suggesting that Chinese businesses could help rebuild cities destroyed by the war and genocidal dictator Xi Jinping could play a mediating role to end the violence. Those efforts failed as Beijing continuously supported its closest international ally, Russia, while proposing an unrealistic “peace deal” that both Moscow and Kyiv largely ignored.
Ukrainian officials have since accused China of taking on a larger supportive role in the invasion, including through the public display of individuals who are allegedly Chinese nationals captured fighting for Russia on the battlefield.
Ivashchenko added to Ukrainian claims of significant Chinese support for Russia in his Ukrinform interview, stating that his office has evidence that China is offering critical supplies to Russian factories to continue manufacturing war goods, such as technological components and chemicals.
“Information has emerged, suggesting that China supplies tooling machines, special chemical products, gunpowder, and components specifically to defense manufacturing industries,” the intelligence chief said. “We have confirmed data on 20 Russian factories.”
Ivashchenko stated that, between 2024 and 2025, Kyiv is aware of China offering “equipment, components, replacement parts, and engineering documentation” for Russia’s aircraft industry, as well as “major supplies of special chemical products.”
“As of early 2025, 80 percent of critical electronic components found in Russian drones originated in China,” he continued. “At the same time, there are facts of product substitutions, deceptive product names, there are shell companies through which everything necessary for the production of microelectronics is supplied.”
The Ukrainian intelligence leader added a warning to Chinese nationals in Russia that the Vladimir Putin regime has developed a growing record of using foreign nationals as cannon fodder — particularly Cubans and North Koreans — in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, and warning that any Chinese in Russia are in danger of being forced into the Ukrainian war theater.
“All in all, there are approximately six million foreigners temporarily staying in Russia. These are those who came in search of job opportunities, as well as students from Asian and African countries,” he explained. “And they, like every foreigner in Russia, could well end up in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces after committing minor administrative offences or lured by monetary reward, we do not rule out this possibility.”
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the interview on Tuesday by fully dismissing the accusations. Asked by the Reuters news agency to comment on Ivashchenko’s remarks, spokeswoman Mao Ning asserted, “China has never provided lethal weapons to any party to the conflict, and strictly controls dual-use items. Ukraine understands that well.”
“China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation,” she added.
The Ukrinform interview followed a lengthy report from Kyiv’s state news outlet on Saturday accusing China of manipulating Russia to use it as a “thorn in the flesh and troublemaker for Washington,” effectively relegating its dirty work to Putin.
“[F]or the Ukrainians, the biggest threat comes from cooperation between Beijing and Moscow in the defense and defense industrial sectors,” that report noted, “namely China’s purported intention to transfer to Russia weapons and missiles for use in its ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine.”
The article claimed that China had initially “turned on the aid tap to the Russian defense-industrial sector as China launched massive supplies of industrial tooling machines suitable for production of weapons, along with chemical and other dual-capability products to defense industries in Russia.” It added, however, that Russia had become a nuisance to Beijing in many ways, particularly as international sanctions made payment settlement a “major problem.”
While Ukrinform did not offer corroboration for its claims in that article — arguably, the Ivashchenko interview reaffirmed those claims — the tone of Ukrainian government outlets and officials towards China has changed dramatically in the three years of the Russian full-scale invasion. In August 2022, President Zelensky told the South China Morning Post that he was hoping to speak to Xi and convince him to support Ukraine.
“I would like to talk directly. I had one conversation with [President] Xi Jinping that was a year ago,” Zelensky said at the time. “Since the beginning of the large-scale aggression on February 24, we have asked officially for a conversation, but we (haven’t had) any conversation with China even though I believe that would be helpful.”
Zelensky also invited “Chinese businesses” to rebuild Ukraine. Ukraine is still a member of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a Chinese infrastructure debt trap program, despite Beijing’s close ties to Russia.
Zelensky published a video on social media in April that he claimed showed Chinese nationals captured fighting for Russia.
Наші військові взяли в полон двох громадян Китаю, які воювали в складі російської армії. Це відбулося на території України – на Донеччині. Є документи цих полонених, банківські картки, особисті дані.Маємо інформацію про те, що таких громадян Китаю в підрозділах окупанта значно більше, ніж двоє. Зараз зʼясовуємо всі факти. Працюють розвідка, СБУ, відповідні підрозділи Збройних Сил.Я доручив міністру закордонних справ України негайно звʼязатися з Пекіном і зʼясувати, як Китай збирається на це реагувати.Залучення Росією ще й прямо чи опосередковано Китаю в цю війну у Європі – це чіткий сигнал, що Путін збирається робити що завгодно, окрім завершення війни. Він шукає, як воювати далі. На це точно потрібна реакція. Реакція Сполучених Штатів, Європи та всіх у світі, хто хоче, щоб був мир.Полонені громадяни Китаю перебувають у Службі безпеки України.Тривають відповідні слідчі та оперативні дії.____Our military has captured two Chinese citizens who were fighting as part of the Russian army. This happened on Ukrainian territory—in the Donetsk region. Identification documents, bank cards, and personal data were found in their possession.We have information suggesting that there are many more Chinese citizens in the occupier's units than just these two. We are currently verifying all the facts—intelligence, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the relevant units of the Armed Forces are working on it.I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to immediately contact Beijing and clarify how China intends to respond to this.Russia's involvement of China, along with other countries, whether directly or indirectly, in this war in Europe is a clear signal that Putin intends to do anything but end the war. He is looking for ways to continue fighting. This definitely requires a response. A response from the United States, Europe, and all those around the world who want peace.The captured Chinese citizens are now in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine. Relevant investigative and operational actions are ongoing.
Posted by Володимир Зеленський on Tuesday, April 8, 2025
“The Chinese are fighting on the territory of Ukraine. And I think this is an important point that we need to discuss with our partners,” he said at the time. “I think it is urgent. I understand that we are a strong country, but we cannot fight many countries at the same time, which all need something on our land.”
