Jixian Wang
Jixian Wang (simplified Chinese: 王吉贤; traditional Chinese: 王吉賢; pinyin: Wáng Jíxián; born 3 April 1985) is a Chinese programmer living in Ukraine who is known for video blogging his war experiences during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2][3][4] Wang's account of events, intended for Sinophone audiences, differ from how they are portrayed by state media in China.[5] His content has been targeted by censors. His WeChat was suspended following interviews with several media outlets in March 2022, and he was briefly cut off from his family in China.[6] Wang was temporarily suspended from YouTube over reports of inciting violence because of his documentation of war footage.[7]
Wang was arrested by the Ukrainian authorities in October 2023 for filming and publicly broadcasting information about Ukrainian air defense systems in Odesa, including the location, time and targets hit. He was released from custody in November 2023 and originally sentenced the following month to 5 years in prison, which was suspended and reduced to one year in probation after taking into account his lack of prior criminal history and legal presence in Ukraine. Afterwards, he announced on Twitter that he would no longer upload war-related or political content and that he still supported Ukraine.[8][9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Buckley, Chris (March 15, 2022). "A Chinese video blogger in Odessa challenges Beijing's version of the war". The New York Times.
- ^ Fan, Wenxin (March 15, 2022). "A Chinese Vlogger, Alone in Ukraine, Combats Russian Aggression—And Haters Back Home" – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ Jessie Yeung and Yong Xiong. "A Chinese vlogger shared videos of war-torn Ukraine. He's been labeled a national traitor". CNN.
- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Chinese vlogger shows everyday life in wartime Ukraine | DW | 27.05.2022". Archived from the original on 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2022-06-10 – via www.dw.com.
- ^ Noubel, Filip (Oct 27, 2022). "YouTuber Wang Jixian continues to tell the story of Odesa to sinophone audiences". Global Voice.
- ^ "The Chinese vlogger broadcasting the Ukraine war" – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ Taipei, Rhoda Kwan in (April 7, 2022). "YouTube restores suspended account of Chinese vlogger reporting from Ukraine on atrocities". the Guardian.
- ^ Дмитрий, Гулийчук (4 December 2023). "В Одессе блогер из Китая снимал на видео работу ПВО: как его наказал суд". TSN.ua (in Russian). 1+1 Media Group. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Ukraine Sentences Chinese Video Blogger for War Videos". Voice of America. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 2025-02-22.