Chinese soldiers say Russia’s army is weaker than they expected

The two Chinese nationals who were captured in eastern Ukraine while fighting for Russia

are talking a lot more now, and their stories sound somewhat familiar

Ukraine identified the two men as Wang Guangjun and Zhang Renbo. The two say they were misled into joining Russia's ranks

claiming they were promised good pay and safe work, but instead found themselves on the front lines of the war

It's a similar story to what many others fighting for Russia reported

when captured by Ukraine. The two men spoke at a government-run press conference in Kyiv

saying they were deceived by online ads and forced into harsh combat conditions

Wang said he lost his job during the pandemic and responded to a recruitment post online

Zhang said he initially traveled to Russia for construction work, only to be enlisted in the army later

Both said they had no idea they be sent into battle and both deny any connection to the Chinese government They described Russia military as poorly organized and weaker than advertised saying they had little food or water

no medical care, and faced racist abuse from commanders. Wang said his own embassy offered

no help when he tried to reach out. Their comments follow earlier claims by Ukrainian

President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said intelligence shows at least 150 Chinese nationals

have joined Russian forces. China says it's verifying the identities of the two men captured

but denies widespread involvement. U.S. officials have not confirmed the numbers either

but say if China is allowing citizens to fight for Russia, it would represent a serious escalation

For now, Ukraine continues calling attention to foreign fighters, while the captured men are warning others not to follow their path

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