"More than a year later, Tim is in his barracks in southern Ukraine, engineering drones for the military's ground force. He is one of a small number of Chinese people who have defied their government and mainstream public opinion to risk their lives to fight against an invasion by Beijing's most important geopolitical partner, Russia. Tim arrived in Ukraine in July 2023. He had been watching with concern from China for months, occasionally donating money to online fundraisers for relief efforts."
"But he wanted to do more. At that time, I was unemployed in China. I just wanted to go to Ukraine as a volunteer to see a country suffering through hardship and deliver the donations that many of my close friends had given me to help the people who needed them. So he applied for a business visa through an agent in China and embarked on the long journey west."
On 8 July 2024, Russian missile strikes killed at least 43 people across Ukraine and heavily damaged the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv. Tim, a 43-year-old Chinese national, witnessed the aftermath while delivering aid, saw severed limbs and was moved to join Ukraine's defence. He arrived in July 2023 after donating to relief efforts and securing a business visa. More than a year later he works in southern Ukraine engineering drones for the ground forces. A small number of Chinese volunteers have defied government positions and mainstream opinion to fight against Russia.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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