Ukraine-Russia war latest: Russian adverts seek to recruit ‘tough men’ in China for Putin’s war

Defence secretary John Healey has urged his counterparts from around 30 countries to press ahead with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine to police any future peace agreement with Russia.

His plea to allies in the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” on Thursday came as questions loomed over whether the US would be willing to provide such backup to the peace deal it is trying to rush through.

Chairing the first meeting of the coalition at the level of defence ministers, Mr Healey said its members must ensure “that we’re fully prepared for the moment a peace agreement is reached.”

“We must be ready for when that peace comes. That’s why the work of this coalition is so vital,” Mr Healey said at Nato headquarters in Brussels yesterday.

He added that 200 military planners have been developing plans to deepen European involvement in Ukraine.

Mr Healey said the “reassurance force for Ukraine would be a committed and credible security arrangement to ensure that any negotiated peace does bring what President Trump has pledged: a lasting peace for Ukraine.”

The Chinese prisoner has a fearful expression as his Ukrainian captors train a video camera on him. He speaks in Mandarin, the common language of his homeland. His green uniform is like any regular soldier’s. But is it proof that China is fighting alongside the Russian army?

This is a hybrid war and while China has not disputed the facts, the boundaries of truth are cloaked in deniability. The incident – astutely publicised by Ukraine just as America is in a trade showdown with China – has illuminated the shadows of a very modern conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops captured two Chinese citizens after a skirmish in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. They found identity documents, bank cards and other evidence of their nationality. In most armies that would be a severe security lapse.

Several Russian advertisements have been found on Chinese social media seeking “tough men” to fight in the war on Ukraine, it has been reported.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this week that his troops captured two Chinese citizens during a skirmish in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine and more than 155 are already fighting Ukraine.

China has denied actively deploying troops to help its ally Russia in the war and said it was making efforts to discourage its citizens from signing up as mercenaries or volunteers.

But the Guardian reported that a number of recruitment clips were easy to find on China’s heavily-censored social media platforms, offering pay ranging from 60,000 to 200,000 RMB (£6,000 to £21,000) in sign-up bonuses and a monthly salary of about 18,000 RMB (£1,900).

“Do you want to show strength here? Is this the path that you long for? You are a tough man, be like them!” says one advertisement seen across several platforms.

Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had captured the village of Zhuravka in Ukraine’s northern border region of Sumy yesterday.

Officials in Ukraine have made no acknowledgement that it had been taken.

The latest report by Russia’s defence ministry made no further comment beyond saying its troops were in control of Zhuravka.

Ukrainian officials said there was intensified Russian military activity on their side of the border, but made no mention of Zhuravka falling into Russian hands.

Four days ago, Moscow said its forces had seized another village in the region, Basivka, a claim denied by Ukrainian officials.

The defence secretary John Healey is set to chair a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels along with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius, where he will announce new military package for the war-hit country.

The group includes Nato and other nations supporting Ukraine.

The military funding will provide repairs and maintenance to vehicles and equipment as well as radar systems, anti-tank mines and hundreds of thousands of drones.

“The work of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group is vital to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position and pile pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to help force him to end this terrible war,” he is expected to say at the meeting.

“We cannot jeopardise peace by forgetting the war, which is why today’s major package will surge support to Ukraine’s frontline fight.”

This comes just a day after the defence minister chaired a meeting of the defence ministers of the so-called “coalition of the willing”, a British and French-led peacekeeping initiative in the event of a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Ukrainian president described the move as “absolutely justified” as Ukraine looks to stave off Russian advances, as Moscow delays ceasefire negotiations in an apparent effort to seize more land.

After Ukraine’s foothold in Russia’s Kursk region collapsed in dramatic fashion – despite Ukrainian troops remaining in small pockets of the area – Kyiv may be searching to rebuild the leverage it had hoped to keep for any future ceasefire negotiations.

A US ballerina jailed for 12 months in Russia after donating $51 to a charity supporting Ukraine has been freed.

On Thursday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed she had been released and was on a plane home to the US in a post on X.

Two Chinese citizens were caught among Russia’s ranks in Ukraine’s war-torn Donetsk region, Mr Zelensky announced on Tuesday, before claiming that there are more than 150 Chinese fighters currently among Russia’s ranks.

The allegations have prompted a furious response from Beijing, which on Thursday warned Kyiv and its allies not to make “irresponsible remarks” after previously decrying what it described as Mr Zelensky’s “baseless” claims that there were more fighters.

Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, is stepping down from her post after nearly three years in Kyiv amid uncertainty over the Trump administration’s attempts to broker a peace deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Her resignation had been expected for some time, especially considering her differences with the Trump administration on rapprochement with Russia and ending the war.

The State Department announced yesterday that Ms Brink will be leaving her post in the near future, although it was not immediately clear exactly when she would depart.

Ms Brink assumed the post under former president Joe Biden’s administration and has been a staunch advocate for US military assistance to Ukraine.

“Ambassador Brink is stepping down,” the department said.

“She’s been the ambassador in Kyiv for three years — that’s a long time in a war zone. And frankly, the war has gone on for far too long.”“The real issue is whether the Russians and Ukrainians are ready to do what’s necessary to end this war,” it said.