Tseng Sheng-kuang, 25, had arrived in Ukraine in June. He died in combat, in the Lugansk region, today disputed. Apparently, 10 Taiwanese are volunteering in the conflict. Xi Jinping warns Putin: no to the use of nuclear weapons.
Taipei () – Tseng Sheng-kuang, 25, is the first Taiwanese foreign fighter to die in the Ukrainian conflict. He had enlisted in the International Legion in support of Ukraine and was killed on November 2 during a military operation against Russian forces in the disputed Lugansk region.
A colleague informed Tseng’s family and the news of the death was confirmed yesterday by Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Ukrainian parliament’s foreign affairs committee. The fighter, originally from Hualien County, had been a volunteer in the Russo-Ukrainian war since June. According to the kyiv army, he was in the Carpathian Battalion, an infantry unit. His wife had not heard from him since October 23, according to reports Focus Taiwan.
There is no precise data on the number of volunteers fighting alongside the Ukrainian forces: it is estimated that there are about 20,000 troops, including 10 Taiwanese citizens. In August, the newspaper Kyiv Independent revealed alleged misconduct by those in charge of an International Legion unit linked to the kyiv intelligence services, accused of mistreating foreign volunteers and using them in suicide operations.
News of Tseng’s death comes as the Ukrainians prepare their counteroffensive to recapture Kherson, a southern stronghold now in Russian hands. Yesterday, during his whistle-stop visit to Beijing, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to use his influence over Putin to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
The Chinese leader is unlikely to take direct action against his Russian counterpart. However, in his meeting with the German head of government, Xi issued a warning to the Kremlin, calling on the international community to “reject the threat of nuclear weapons and oppose atomic war to avoid a crisis in Eurasia.” Scholz noted that Germany and China agree that Russia could cross a “red line” by resorting to the use of nuclear weapons.
