A Chinese national was injured by gunshot while trying to leave Ukraine, China’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday, marking the first confirmed case of a Chinese casualty as a result of the Russian invasion.
Unlike many countries, China did not tell its roughly 6,000 citizens in Ukraine to leave the country in the days leading up to last Thursday’s invasion by Russia, announcing evacuation plans soon after it had begun.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“A Chinese national was injured by a gunshot while evacuating on his own on March 1 Beijing nighttime,” spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular daily media briefing, adding that the person was not in critical danger.
Wang did not respond to a question on whether the wounded Chinese national had been shot by a Russian or Ukrainian.
The ministry said more than 2,500 Chinese nationals had been relocated from Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Ukraine to “take all necessary measures” to ensure the safety of Chinese citizens there during a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dymtro Kuleba.
China has refused to condemn Russia’s attack on Ukraine or to call it an invasion, and has repeatedly called for a negotiated solution.
Some remaining Chinese nationals in Ukraine have taken to social media to express their fears, and their anxieties over whether they would be able to leave.
Initial reports of an injured Chinese person went viral on Tuesday, racking up over 130 million views on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.
Read more:
Russian LNG tanker diverts from UK amid port ban
Ukraine says more than 2,000 Ukrainian civilians killed during Russian invasion
Cruise missile hits Ukraine’s Kharkiv city council building
