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By Andrew Stanton
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Millions of Chinese soldiers are "needed" to fight in Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine as Kyiv launches its long-awaited counteroffensive, Russian state TV host Olga Skabeyeva recently said.
China has emerged as a key ally to Putin after he launched his "special military operation" on Ukraine last February. Many countries condemned Putin's war as lacking justification and as a violation of international norms, placing sanctions on Moscow's economy, leaving the Russian leader alienated from other world leaders. Beijing, however, has taken on a more sympathetic stance to Putin, trying to broker a deal to end the war that some say would be more favorable to Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's allies have provided its military with billions of dollars of aid, including weaponry, that has allowed its troops to turn the tide of the war in its favor. Since the fall, Ukraine has retaken control of thousands of square miles of formerly occupied territory, and in recent days has reportedly launched its latest counteroffensive in Zaporizhzhia. Already, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has reported a high number of Russian casualties amid the effort, though that figure has not been confirmed by Moscow.
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As Russia's military grapples with Ukraine's latest attempt at reclaiming occupied land, Skabeyeva, host of the Russian TV program 60 Minutes, offered one solution to bolster its military.
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During a recent episode of the show, she called for millions of Chinese troops to join the Russia-Ukraine war. Skabeyeva pointed to the recent battles in Russia's Belgorod region where Putin's forces have reportedly struggled in recent weeks as to why Moscow needs more soldiers.
"Don't dismiss two or three million Chinese soldiers. That's what is needed now. I look at Belgorod region and think how much we lack a Chinese people's liberation army," she said.
Video of Skabeyeva's remarks was translated and posted to Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, on Sunday morning.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Despite this call from Skabeyeva, China has not indicated that it plans to send troops into Russia—which would be viewed as a massive escalation of the conflict—instead offering support in other ways
Still, Beijing and Moscow have deepened their ties since the beginning of the war. In April, Putin and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu highlighted military cooperation between their two countries during a meeting in Moscow, noting that the two have engaged in joint military exercises including ground, naval, and air force drills.
"We are working actively through our military departments, regularly exchange useful information, work together in the field of military-technical cooperation, and hold joint exercises," Putin said of his country's relationship with China.
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