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Vladimir Putin ‘needs’ 2- 3 million Chinese soldiers to fight in Ukraine?
Olga Skabeyeva pointed to the recent battles in Russia's Belgorod region.
Millions of Chinese soldiers are "needed" to fight in Russian president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Russian state TV host Olga Skabeyeva said as Kyiv launched its long-awaited counteroffensive. China has been a major ally to the Russian president after he launched his "special military operation" on Ukraine last February.
As Russia's military grapples with Ukraine's latest attempt, Olga Skabeyeva, host of the Russian TV program 60 Minutes, offered one solution to bolster the country's military.
Calling for millions of Chinese troops to join the Russia-Ukraine war, Olga Skabeyeva pointed to the recent battles in Russia's Belgorod region where Vladimir Putin's forces reportedly struggled.
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"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 her remarks was translated and posted to Twitter by Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs.
China has not indicated that it plans to send troops into Russia but Beijing and Moscow have deepened their ties since the beginning of the war. In April, Vladimir Putin highlighted military cooperation with China during a meeting in Moscow.
"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," Vladimir Putin said.
