Who is the Chinese TV journalist who reports in favor of the invasion of Ukraine with Russian troops

Lu Yuguang, an experienced war correspondent for the Chinese television station Phoenix TV, has stood out during the invasion of Ukraine as a foreign journalist integrated among Russian troops. His unusual access to the Russian side of the conflict contrasts with that of other reporters and raises questions about the extent of cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

His reports on the invasion have included Russian misinformation, such as the claim that Ukrainian soldiers hold more than 1,000 people hostage to use as human shields, and has chronicled from the cities most attacked by Russia since the offensive began almost three weeks ago, including in Mariupol, where the authorities reported thousands of deaths. “I am on the front line of fire in Mariupol,” he says in one of his reports in front of the camera with a microphone in hand and wearing a bulletproof vest and a helmet.

According to the Phoenix TV website, Lu Yuguang is a former Chinese army officer who lived in Moscow for several decades and covered the Chechen war with Russian military protection. For his reports, he has received multiple awards from the Kremlin and the Russian army.

Last March 2, in an exclusive interview with the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic, Denis Pushilin, praised the pro-Russian militias in Donetsk and said that they cannot compare with Ukrainian forces. “With the help of Russian forces, militias in eastern Ukraine have liberated 40 residential areas within the administrative line. The victory continues to expand,” Lu Yuguang said during the report.

Moreover, it is striking that he makes these reports so close to the Russian side of the conflict in Ukraine, considering that the Kremlin has intensified its campaign against independent media since the beginning of the invasion and several foreign media have been forced to withdraw from Russia after President Vladimir Putin will sign a law that provides for sentences of 15 years in prison for what his government considers “disclosure of fake news.”

A “solid” partnership

Since the beginning of the invasion, China has refused to openly condemn the military operation in Ukraine and last week called its friendship with Russia “rock solid”.

In China, the state media took up some of the Kremlin's arguments, such as that Ukraine would be using civilians as “human shields” and that the United States would be funding military biological programs in Ukraine.

The head of foreign policy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, in line with other Western countries, said this week that he had asked Beijing to exercise its “considerable influence” over Moscow to ensure a ceasefire. But Beijing is reluctant for the time being to stop supporting its ally.

With information from AFP

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