Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Zelensky reiterated his claim that there are "many more" Chinese nationals engaged in the conflict, based on information gathered by his government. Responding on Thursday, a Chinese government spokesman said they "advise relevant parties to correctly and soberly understand China's role and not to make irresponsible remarks". "China is neither the creator nor a party to the Ukrainian crisis. We are a staunch supporter and active promoter of the peaceful resolution of the crisis", said foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian. He reiterated an earlier comment that appeared to suggest that Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia were doing so in their private capacity. Mr Lin said China "has always required its citizens to stay away from armed conflict areas and avoid being involved in armed conflicts in any form, especially to avoid participating in military operations of any party". Beijing has previously denied many of its citizens are fighting for Russia, saying the claim has "no basis in facts He added that Russia was recruiting Chinese citizens on social media, and that "official Beijing knows about this According to Zelensky, the alleged recruits receive training in Moscow before being sent out to the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as migration documents and payment. He also released on X a video of what appeared to be an interrogation of the two captured Chinese soldiers. (BBC)