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Ukraine has officially accused China of contributing to Russia’s war effort by providing military support through its citizens and companies.

Some shit you should know before you read: Since the war broke out in Ukraine, China has publicly maintained a stance of neutrality, consistently calling for a ceasefire and dialogue while denying any direct military support to Russia. It also maintains that it does not supply lethal aid to any party involved in the conflict and argues that it strictly controls exports of dual-use goods—items that can serve both civilian and military purposes. Despite these claims, Western intelligence and independent reports have indicated that Chinese companies have supplied such dual-use items, including semiconductors, navigation equipment, and machine tools, to bolster Russia’s defense industrial base. The US government has previously responded by imposing sanctions on dozens of Chinese firms for allegedly enabling Russia’s military production through these exports, most recently in February 2024, when the Treasury Department targeted Chinese entities for transferring components critical to drone and missile manufacturing.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevhen Perebyinis presented evidence to Chinese Ambassador Ma Shengkun alleging the involvement of Chinese citizens and companies in Russia’s war against Ukraine. During the meeting, Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry conveyed “serious concerns about the facts of the participation of Chinese citizens in military action against Ukraine,” stressing that such actions contradict “the spirit of partnership between Ukraine and the People’s Republic of China.”

The Ministry stated that Ukrainian special services had gathered intelligence indicating Chinese nationals were actively participating in hostilities on Russia’s side and that Chinese companies were producing military-related goods within Russian territory. While Ukraine did not disclose specifics in the official statement, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy elaborated during an April press conference that China was involved in “the production of some weapons on the territory of Russia,” and alleged broader cooperation between Chinese entities and Moscow’s military-industrial complex.

At a separate press event on April 4, he alleged that Chinese citizens were working at a drone factory on behalf of Russia.

China, for its part, firmly rejected Ukraine’s accusations, describing them as unsubstantiated and politically motivated. On April 18, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded by calling the allegations “groundless,” with spokesperson Guo Jiakun stating, “China firmly opposes groundless accusations and political manipulation.” Another official, Lin Jian, reinforced China’s official position, saying, “The Chinese side has never provided lethal weapons to any party in the conflict, and strictly controls dual-use items.”