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By Micah McCartney
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The only known Chinese national fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia has died in action, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Peng Chenliang, 29, had joined Ukraine's International Legion earlier this year, driven by his opposition to authoritarianism.
Thousands of foreign mercenaries have joined the war on both sides, including an unknown number of Chinese fighting for Russia. Though no other Chinese nationals have been reported joining the Ukrainian side, Newsweek could not independently verify Peng's was the only case.
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"Mourning. Ukrainian Chinese warrior Peng Chenliang died in action," Huang Chunsheng, a senior pastor at Jinan Presbyterian Church in Taipei, Taiwan, announced on Sunday in a Facebook post.
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Huang said Peng, who arrived in Ukraine in April, was reportedly deployed with the 1st Infantry Battalion of Ukraine's International Legion, which is composed of foreign volunteers.
The 29-year-old native of Yunnan province had requested a transfer to the 2nd Battalion, which included among its ranks three Taiwanese troops, but was killed by shellfire before the transfer was completed.
Peng reportedly supported Taiwan's freedom and democracy and expressed a wish to be buried in a "free Ukraine" under Taiwan's national flag, according to Huang.
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Peng left China after authorities detained him for seven months over his posts on X, formerly Twitter, that were deemed anti-Russian, anticommunist and pro-Taiwanese, according to Huang.
After arriving in Ukraine, Peng reportedly fell victim to another Chinese national who claimed he would help Peng with paperwork but instead swindled him out of thousands of dollars. Peng later received help from a local Ukrainian and a Taiwanese mercenary.
Peng considered the western Ukraine city of Lviv as his new home and had begun a relationship with a local woman, according to Huang.
Peng's death follows that of Wu Chung-ta, one of the three Taiwanese in the 2nd Battalion who became the second mercenary from the democratic island to lose his life in the conflict.
Wu, 44, had transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces after half a year with the International Legion. He was killed on November 2 by a Russian bomb in the contested Luhansk region, Taiwanese media reported.
Huang told Newsweek he had learned about Peng from the written and recorded messages he had sent the Taiwanese volunteers. They shared these with the reverend when he contacted them to confirm a rumor that a third Taiwanese soldier had been killed.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Ukrainian foreign ministries with emailed requests for comment.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to unify the island, though the Chinese Communist Party has never governed it.
Beijing has officially declared neutrality on the Russian invasion but has refrained from labeling the conflict as such. The Chinese government also echoes Kremlin narratives blaming NATO for the war and censors anti-war criticism of Russia on social media.
Economic and military ties between China and Russia have only deepened since the conflict began, with trade between the "no limits" partners reaching record levels. China has supplied some military support, helping blunt the impact of international sanctions on Moscow.
Update 11/13/24, 3:21 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
Correction 11/13/24, 3:40 p.m. ET: Previous versions of this article included the incorrect spelling of Peng Chenliang.
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