The Ukraine War and China's (Not-so) Pro-Kremlin Vlogs
Sabrina—UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES)/Year 3 student
China remains officially "neutral" in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, yet Beijing and Moscow have long sustained a "strategic partnership." Unlike Western media, domestic Chinese commentary often portrays Putin and his actions positively, leading to perceptions among citizens that frequently differ from, and sometimes oppose, those in the West. This situation enables the Chinese public to sympathize with Putin's decisions regarding territorial sovereignty, particularly in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With the structural shift from traditional to digital propaganda, individuals increasingly play a crucial role alongside mainstream media. A characteristic of digital propaganda in authoritarian environments is that active citizens can serve as propagandists, just as the wider use of social media influencers is a global trend. How, then, do non-state Chinese media platforms and digital actors respond to the official media Ukraine war narratives? How rigorously do "citizen propagandists" adhere to the state’s line?
By focusing on ‘amateur’ video content on the Bilibili platform from the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion to the present, my research has generated tentative answers to these questions. I used the Bilibili platform to conduct keyword searches based on five related subtopics I established (listed below), such as "causes of the Russia-Ukraine war," "information warfare in the Russia-Ukraine conflict," and "Putin during wartime." I applied the "Most Viewed" filter to prioritize the top 30 videos by view count for each keyword（The average number of views of these videos is 659,000, the highest number of views is 10.809 million, and the lowest number of views is 10,000). I then manually reviewed each video to exclude those unrelated to the research focus (e.g., videos analyzing military progress) and those outside the target research period (post-war outbreak). This process reduced the sample to 80 videos for analysis. The final sample included 30 videos analyzing motivations and positions on the war, 15 discussing the public discourse surrounding the conflict, 15 analyzing specific wartime events, 10 focusing on the war’s impact and its warnings for China, and 10 dedicated to the wartime president. As a popular video-sharing commercial platform among young people, Bilibili offers a diverse, informal perspective, allowing users to explore narratives unfamiliar from traditional media.
Of the 80 videos, 5 were authored by well-known professors or scholars in collaboration with news website, Guancha.cn, including a professor from Fudan University and one from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, while a few others were informational bloggers who provided their real names and appeared on camera. The rest were published using nicknames or AI-generated voiceovers. Such anonymity accommodates bold opinions without drawing the authorities’ attention. Additionally, the platform’s interactive nature enables users to post real-time comments on the video screen, allowing me to observe immediate reactions to the content. To all videos I applied the broad concept of ‘news frames’ (the perspectives from which events – in this case, those of the Ukraine war - are filtered, contextualized and narrated to generate the specific interpretation of those events favoured by the author of the narrative).
My findings indicate that, even in strictly controlled media landscapes like China’s, there is space for attitudes and narratives which depart from the official line, albeit mostly (if not solely) in the direction of a still greater pro-China chauvinism, popular with audiences, and thus lucrative for commercially driven platforms like Bilibili.
Anti-American Pro-Russian VS True Neutrality
The war’s origins are often the most hotly debated topic. Despite Beijing's neutrality claims, it leans cautiously towards Russia. State-controlled media in China strictly adheres to an official neutral stance, not condemning Russia’s aggression yet notionally supporting Ukraine's sovereignty. While news occasionally reports on the destruction and suffering in Ukraine, the overall narrative is pro-Russian. The Chinese government and official media often echo statements made by Russian authorities, repeatedly amplifying Kremlin rhetoric.
My 80 videos replicate this pro-Russian sentiment. Among them, 30 discuss the causes of the war, and 23 exhibit a pro-Russian stance, emphasizing that the U.S. is the conflict’s puppeteer, using Ukraine to undermine Russia. These videos criticize American and NATO expansionism, often aligning their arguments with Russia’s and selectively citing Western information favouring Russia. Even the few videos that acknowledge Russia's faults tend to pivot towards the idea that, while Russia may be wrong, the West and Ukraine are not innocent. Among bloggers expressing strong (or subtle) pro-Russian positions, the majority are non-academic. However, this group also includes a few experts (such as those from Guancha.com and Fudan University), as well as some real-name bloggers with large fan bases:
Sima Nan (real name: Yu Li) is a Chinese news commentator with a large following (1.649 million Bilibili fans), and a strongly pro-China, anti-Western stance. In one video, he comments:
"A man with blood in his veins would never allow himself to be slaughtered. When a knife is pointed at his heart, some men might bow their heads in submission. But not Putin, and not the Russian people!" (11.005 million views, 1.649 million fans on Bilibili).
Title—Ukraine is a blood relative of Russia
Lu Kewen, a media influencer with 4.235 million fans, skilfully analyzes complex political issues. He describes the situation as follows: "Even if Russia didn’t intend to attack Ukraine, they are forcing Russia to make a move because provoking Russia to send troops has been the ultimate goal of the U.S. over the past two months." (126,000 views, 42,000 comments).
However, 13 of the videos express a genuinely neutral stance, sometimes articulated from a personal perspective emphasizing the importance of independent thinking and urging viewers to avoid being influenced by misinformation and extremism. Several videos critique the extreme rhetoric prevalent on Chinese social media, arguing that it deliberately sensationalizes information favorable to the Russian military while ignoring facts, and indulging in pseudo-patriotism. Some videos even point out that much Chinese public support for Russia is rooted in "anti-American" sentiment not genuine independent thought. They caution that this kind of thinking is dangerous, fostering blind nationalism detrimental to China. Most such videos are produced by bloggers who do not provide their real names or appear on camera. Among all the ‘neutral’ videos , the one with the highest view count（1.597 million views, 16,000 comments, created by a blogger who is visible but gives only his nickname), elucidates its neutrality by further exploring the origins of extreme rhetoric, stressing the contentious, subjective nature of all international conflict commentary, and of national perceptions of security:
"Surely Russians don’t feel that they are safe at a time like this, do they? Through this, we realize that peace is objective, whereas safety is subjective”.
Seeking opportunities from war: China’s own interests
Another agenda that diverges from the official narrative involves the public's examination of China's own national interests. Many believe that, for China, the real stakes in this conflict concern China's position within the international system and relationship with the US. However, Chinese public opinion on the war varies, featuring both pro-Russian and anti-Russian sentiments. Some scholars argue that China's "strategic partnership" with Russia allows China to navigate between different sides. Its informal nature enables Beijing to keep a neutral distance from the war. Simultaneously, while maintaining normal diplomatic relations with Russia, China also needs to uphold economic relationships with Western countries and must avoid offending them. Another segment of anti-Russian voices contends that Russia is a potential pole in a "multipolar world" from China's perspective. Meanwhile, for Russia, China's rise and the growing imbalance in bilateral power may raise concerns. China's concepts of sovereignty and security, burdened by its imperial tradition, encounter and clash with those of another nation also bearing an imperial legacy. Some videos mention Russia's (the USSR’s) historical occupation of Chinese territories, reminding the public that there is no need to be overly pro-Russian and emphasizing the strategic nature of Sino-Russian relations.
In videos that explore China's official neutral stance, the content that most resonates with other videos emphasizes that China's neutrality helps maximize its own interests and that it should be Russia’s "partner but not ally" to avoid offending the West. Some videos even suggest that China's neutral stance is aiding Russia because, as long as China does not intervene, the United States would not dare to engage in direct conflict with Russia.
Some videos by non-scholarly bloggers argue that China has no obligation to assist Ukraine since most of the mutual benefits between China and Ukraine are based on transactions, and relations between the two countries are unstable. Other videos criticize the West's labeling of China's neutral stance as "pro-Russian", pointing out that supporting Russia is likewise not China's responsibility. These non-academic vloggers, who convey subjective and emotionally charged perspectives, generally maintain opaque identities. Most use only images and video clips, avoid showing their faces, and rely on AI-generated voiceovers. However, there are rare exceptions where such content is produced by well-known bloggers.
Most video creators not only stress the strategic nature of Sino-Russian relations but also, from ethnic and racial perspectives, highlight Russia’s potential threat to China. One video produced by Lukewen (see above), describes Russia's "barbaric, superstitious, servile, autocratic, and evil nature," stating that "although the Anglo-Saxon nations are … annoying, sinister, and cause trouble globally, they still have some bottom lines … But sometimes Russia has no bottom line." The author cautions that if Russia succeeds in taking Ukraine, China might become its next target. Although this is one of the few videos to include direct criticism of Russia, such views attract interest; this video garnered 586,000 views.
Title—Russia as the West's Imaginary Enemy—Does China’s Non-Alignment Mean It Supports Russia?
On the economic front, viewpoints like "the war provides opportunities for China" frequently appear. Some videos suggest that this could gradually turn Russia into a vassal state of China. Or compel the Kremlin to conform to China's strategic desires, particularly concerning Taiwan.
Direct Criticism of Russia
With specific events, the discourse on Bilibili is much more open. By comparing the number of videos expressing these viewpoints with those holding a pro-Ukrainian stance, one can infer that China's censorship mechanisms have varying thresholds on different issues; at the very least, not all criticisms of Putin are prohibited.
In discussions about the Wagner Group incidents, contrasting with the Russian official media's emphasis on Putin's firm stance and the Russian government's control over the situation, some vloggers saw that this event reflects deep-seated internal Russian contradictions. Surprisingly, among vloggers offering bolder criticism, some are individual scholars who provide their real names and appear on camera.
One video described the rebellion as "transforming from the An Lushan Rebellion into the Mawei Slope Mutiny" (famous Chinese historical events), implying the Wagner rebellion’s dramatic nature and the inadequacy of its handling.
The video (produced by an anonymous blogger with 707,000 followers, using the nickname "Sui Feng Shuo"）with the most severe criticism argues that the Wagner rebellion signifies a weakening of Putin's authority and governance capabilities and that the war he launched recalls Hitler's actions. This video has amassed 4.07 million views without being removed.
In videos discussing the plane crash that killed Wagner's top leadership and the Moscow theater hostage crisis, different types of creators (including Qiu Zhenhai—a renowned scholar, seasoned media professional and current affairs commentator), while exploring various possibilities, suggest that the Putin government might be the orchestrator.
One blogger（Lü Sining—a scholar specializing in international relations, who has published academic articles at several universities）produced a video specifically summarizing examples of intellectuals forced to flee Russia amid the Russia-Ukraine war. Whilst using straightforward language, he even titled the video, “Putin’s War Is Also an Attack on Russia Itself: Where Should Russians Go from Here?”. It has accumulated 104,000 views.
This demonstrates the selective leniency of China's censorship mechanism regarding events that do not involve national stances during wartime.
Conclusions
Pro-Russian voices remain in the majority. Usually, videos that directly praise the Chinese government are not authored by scholars or (at least publicly) state officials, but instead by grassroots nationalists or informational bloggers seeking commercial gain by commodifying patriotism. The motivation for creating patriotic content is not driven by state directives but rather to garner approval from regular users and increase online traffic. This aligns with Bilibili’s commercial interests, enabling it to appeal to viewers without negating the state's stance.
Bilibili does not solely promote pro-Russian voices. Although less common, videos based on non-official perspectives—including those that criticize Russia—circulate widely and attract numerous views. Whether it's bold, emotional Chinese nationalism or views questioning Russia as an ally, or even China's relationship with Russia and its covert support for the war, these opinions diverge from official Chinese neutrality. According to a leaked document from Horizon News, a media outlet under the Chinese Communist Party, news agencies were instructed in 2022 not to publish pro-Western or anti-Russian content. Many bloggers had their content forcibly removed or their accounts suspended. My research suggest that this censorship is not absolute, or may have shifted over time, as viewpoints that contradict the official narrative are still present. Even reputable, named scholars openly criticize Russia, provided the content does not involve China. Authoritarian citizen vloggers are not, it seems, necessarily authoritarian state vloggers, especially when they operate in commercialized environments.