KYIV, Ukraine (AFP) — President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said Russia was “dragging” China into the war in Ukraine, as he accused Beijing of knowing that dozens of its citizens were being recruited by Moscow’s army to fight.

Kyiv had details of more than 150 Chinese nationals who had deployed to the front, Zelensky said, a day after claiming Ukraine’s army had captured two Chinese citizens fighting in the eastern Donetsk region.

Zelensky said Ukraine was ready to release the captured Chinese citizens in exchange for Ukrainian POWs (prisoners of war) held in Russia.

“Such an overt involvement of Chinese citizens in combat operations on the territory of Ukraine is a deliberate step towards expanding the war,” Zelensky said. “This is yet another indication that Moscow simply needs to drag out the fighting.”

The fresh criticism of both Russia and China came hours after Beijing rejected the idea that its citizens had been recruited in big numbers to fight with Russia, and warned Chinese nationals to “avoid involvement in armed conflicts.”

“This is the second mistake for Russia. The first was North Korea. They drag other countries into war. I believe that they are now dragging China into this war,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv.

According to Kyiv, South Korea and Western intelligence, Pyongyang last year despatched more than 10,000 of its soldiers to support Russia’s army after Ukraine launched a brazen cross-border attack on the western Kursk region.

“The ‘Chinese’ issue is serious. There are 155 people with names and passport details who are fighting against Ukrainians on the territory of Ukraine,” Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv.

A document shared with Agence France-Presse by a senior Ukrainian official contained the alleged names and passport details of 168 Chinese citizens that Kyiv said had been recruited by Russia’s army, according to its intelligence.

Zelensky said he believed there were “many more” and that further information was being gathered.

He did not accuse Beijing of having directly sent the soldiers, but said Chinese authorities were aware they were being recruited.

“It is clear how they recruit them. One of the schemes is through social media, in particular TikTok and other Chinese social networks, where Russians distribute commercials,” Zelensky said.

“Beijing is aware of this,” he added.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian had earlier rejected Zelensky’s previous claim that “many” Chinese citizens had been recruited by Russia to fight as “absolutely groundless.”