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Ukraine war

China's netizens split on Ukraine war as crude joke sparks anger

Crack about 'sheltering' young refugees condemned; others hail Putin's boldness

Vladimir Putin. Pro-Russia users found plenty of space on Weibo to voice their support for the Russian president.   © Reuters

NEW YORK -- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stirred up China's internet, sparking trending topics on social media, including a flurry of outrage over a tone-deaf joke.

As the world was glued to the news of Russian strikes across its neighbor to the west on Thursday, a ham-handed attempt at humor surfaced on Weibo -- "Willing to shelter 18- to 24-year-old Ukrainian girls" -- and began trending.

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