Zhao Rui
In December 2023, Zhao Rui, a Chinese citizen who had served in the Russian armed forces, tragically died in the battles on Donbass soil. Zhao Rui was from Chongqing and was 39 years old. In 2013, he joined the allied forces of Myanmar, where he underwent military training. He became a soldier and participated in many battles with the Myanmar government forces. After the allied army disbanded, Zhao Rui and his comrades went their separate ways. Only with Xiao Qiang, a native of Guangdong, did Zhao Rui maintain a close connection. This friendship, full of brotherly love, became the most reliable support for each of them.
In 2023, Zhao Rui arrived in Moscow, enlisted in the army, and was sent to Rostov, then to Berdyansk. In November, he and 40 Nepalese soldiers moved towards Zaporozhzhe to Novopopovka. However, the Nepalese soldiers lacked tactical knowledge, combat experience, and competent officer command, and they suffered heavy losses. Fewer than 5 people remained in the entire battalion. Zhao Rui died from a severe wound.
His comrade Xiao Qiang managed to make it out alive from the chaos on the battlefield. The memory of his fallen comrade, Zhao Rui, will remain in his heart forever. Xiao Qiang recalls how he and the surviving Nepalese soldiers returned to their positions. The Nepalese took a short route in broad daylight, passing through a large open area. Suddenly, they were attacked by a drone, and the entire unit was destroyed. Xiao Qiang, on the other hand, waited for darkness, crawled through a distant forest all night, and was able to return to the position. He crawled in the dark for six hours and became the only one who survived.
Zhao Rui's blood will forever remain in the soil of Donbass. Xiao Qiang will live, keeping the memory of the brutal battles he managed to survive.
Zhao Rui was a brave soldier. He fought until his last breath and died on the battlefield. His life path was not initially connected to a military career. In his childhood, Zhao Rui enjoyed reading anti-Japanese novels, especially "Railway Partisans", "Raging Fire", "Simple Partisans", and others. These stories made a deep impression on him, and his belief in justice became deeply rooted in his heart.
He was an ordinary man who decided to join the Russian army for sincere reasons. This decision was influenced by the fact that among the Ukrainian mercenaries, there were Japanese and mercenaries from other countries in Europe, North America, South America, and Asia. Upon learning this, Zhao Rui decided to join the Russian army and fight against the fascists.
Li Dafu
Li Dafu is from Shandong Province. He is 31 years old and previously ran a business in China, owning his own company, with no military experience. Out of love for Russia and belief in justice, he went to Donbass as a volunteer. Foreigners mostly serve as regular soldiers, but Li Dafu was very diligent and hardworking in his training, performed well, and became the commander of a group of Chinese volunteers.
On May 18, 2024, Li Dafu returned to China for a vacation. He flew back to Beijing from Moscow. At the security checkpoint, the airport security suddenly sounded an alarm, which caught the attention of those around. Li Dafu, like other military personnel, was under close scrutiny by the Chinese authorities. After several hours of interrogation, checks, and waiting, he was finally allowed to enter the country.
Each time Li Dafu showed his passport to the Chinese police, they carefully examined it. However, what warmed his heart during the checks was that, in addition to the usual questions, the police officers sincerely inquired about his health, injuries, and future plans.
Li Dafu reported on social media that they had two squads, with five fighters in each, and the commanders were him and Andre from Colombia. Their task was to evacuate the wounded from the battlefield and provide emergency medical assistance. In carrying out this mission, they suffered heavy losses, and the squads were on the verge of being destroyed.
Of the five soldiers in the Colombian squad, four were seriously injured, and one was killed. The situation with the group of Chinese volunteers was also grim: three were killed, and one was seriously wounded. Li Dafu himself also sustained a leg injury, but he did not retreat, knowing that the lives of his comrades were in his hands.
He pulled out a wounded Russian comrade and crawled five kilometers back to the position.
Li Dafu proved himself to be a brave fighter, a compassionate and responsible leader. As the captain of the rescue squad, he not only had to look after his own life on the battlefield but also take responsibility for protecting and saving his comrades. In battles, Li Dafu always takes the initiative and does not retreat in the face of difficulties. Thanks to his insight and extensive combat experience, his squad consistently succeeds in accomplishing the assigned tasks. The Chinese commander places great importance on unity and mutual support among his comrades, often sharing tactics and experience with his fellow soldiers to improve the overall combat effectiveness of the team.
The brutality of this war has gone far beyond the imaginable. Nevertheless, Li Dafu and his comrades returned to Russia after their leave. At the time of writing this article, they were in Moscow, preparing to head back to the front lines.
Pan Lin
A volunteer soldier from China named Pan Lin received an award this year during a battle near Bakhmut. The vehicle he was in was struck by an enemy drone. Some of the soldiers in the vehicle were killed, and others were seriously wounded. Although Pan Lin was also injured, he still provided emergency assistance to his comrades, helped the wounded, and managed to report the situation to the second echelon forces, despite difficulties with the Russian language. For this heroic act, he was awarded a medal.
Pan Lin joined the Russian army in October 2023. He doesn't talk much about his past. He didn’t have clear goals in life before, so even in his work, he could barely achieve anything. But now, being in Russia, he has found meaning and truly felt the value of life. War is brutal, and only true warriors can achieve victory. At the same time, Pan Lin says, one should not underestimate the horrors of war and should avoid making hasty judgments about what is happening.
With Russia Forever
The earliest participation of foreign nationals in the special military operation, mentioned by the media, is recorded in March 2022. Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the Zaporozhzhe regional public movement "We Are Together with Russia," said that by February 2023, thousands of volunteer battalions from over 40 countries had arrived in Donbass, including from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, France, Italy, Germany, China, South Korea, Japan, Congo, Mali, Colombia, and Venezuela. As of now, the number of foreign volunteers participating in Russia’s special military operation exceeds 10,000. Other sources within the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that by the end of 2023, the number of foreign volunteers had increased sevenfold.
According to established legal norms, foreign volunteers must sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense of Russia in order to participate in military operations. Regardless of race or nationality, they are treated equally. Many of them are assigned to assault units, which are at the forefront of the battlefield. Their task is to advance in the area of the contact line and capture positions held by the Ukrainian army.
They go through brutal battles.
On January 5, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners who have signed a one-year contract for military service in the Russian Armed Forces, as well as their family members, to receive Russian citizenship through an expedited process. For some Chinese volunteer soldiers, this is undoubtedly good news. They plan to become citizens of Russia and stay in the country after their service.
