Prisoners of war arrive from all corners of the globe: Kenya, Nepal, Tajikistan, to name just a few countries. Speaking different languages and coming from various cultures, they share one thing in common: they all claim that Russia tricked them into a war they did not wish to participate in. According to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, around 200 foreigners from 37 states have been captured fighting on Russia’s side and are currently being held in Ukraine as prisoners of war. Their accounts paint a grim picture of deception, bribery, and blackmail that, they allege, Moscow is using to lure foreigners into the ranks of its army. As Russia continues to struggle to recruit its own citizens to fight in Ukraine, it is increasingly turning to foreigners to replenish its armed forces. Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, who heads the Prisoner of War Affairs Headquarters, stated that Ukraine has identified over 18,000 foreigners from 128 countries and territories who have fought or are currently fighting for Russia in Ukraine. This figure does not include the thousands of North Korean soldiers sent to fight for Russia under a military cooperation agreement between the two countries. The actual number of foreign fighters is likely much higher. The growing presence of foreigners spotted on the front lines in Ukraine recently prompted a number of countries to issue sharp rebukes to Russia to stop recruiting their citizens. Earlier this month, Kenyan President William Ruto stated that his government is concerned about “young Kenyans who have been illegally recruited to participate in the war.” Related Article Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a joint press conference with the President of Turkey after their meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on November 19, 2025. Zelenskyy announced his desire to resume frozen peace talks that stalled after several rounds of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul this year failed to yield a breakthrough. Moscow has not agreed to a ceasefire, instead continuing its offensive on the front lines and shelling Ukrainian cities. (Photo Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images) Zelenskyy said Ukraine risks losing dignity or US support due to Trump’s plan to end the war On the same day, the South African government announced it would investigate how 17 of its citizens became embroiled in the war after the men sent distress signals asking for help to return home from the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, much of which is under Russian control. A day later, Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs, stated that 44 Indian citizens are fighting for Russia, adding that the Indian government has “repeatedly raised this issue with the Russian authorities to secure their early release as well as to put an end to this practice.” He noted that Indian authorities are taking measures to prevent the “deceptive involvement” of people. Ukrainian artillerymen fire at Russian forces near the frontline city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on October 15, 2025. Ukrainian artillerymen fire at Russian forces near the frontline city of Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on October 15, 2025. Anatoliy Stepanov/Reuters Ukrainian military intelligence told CNN that the number of foreigners found on the front lines in Ukraine has been growing year over year since Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, but has increased significantly this year. According to Kyiv, the number of foreigners captured by Ukrainian forces in the first nine months of this year has doubled compared to all of last year, which itself was five times the figure for 2023. CNN reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian military department for comment but received no response. Moscow has previously denied coercing foreigners into joining its army. Need for Manpower Moscow is fighting a brutal, grinding war in Ukraine. Its army continues to advance slowly, most recently toward the eastern city of Pokrovsk, but this progress is coming at a heavy cost. Neither Russia nor Ukraine releases casualty figures, but analysts believe Moscow stopped publishing even basic mortality and demographic data early this year, most likely to hide the true cost of the war. However, Western intelligence agencies estimate that since February 2022, Russia has suffered over 1 million personnel killed and wounded, including more than 250,000 fatalities. In its latest assessment, UK Ministry of Defence intelligence reported that around 1,000 Russian soldiers are killed or wounded on average daily. This staggeringly high casualty rate leaves Russia in need of a constant influx of new manpower—at a time when all indications suggest the number of Russians willing to join the army is sharply declining. The Kremlin fears announcing a new mobilization after the failure of the partial mobilization in September 2022, which caused hundreds of thousands of Russian men to flee the country. At the same time, Russia is facing severe demographic pressure—the UN projects Russia’s population could shrink by 25%–50% by 2100. Many Russian regions, in an effort to meet recruitment quotas set by the Kremlin, have significantly increased cash bonuses for new service members. Analysts suggest this indicates that “ideological” recruitment is no longer enough to motivate Russians to fight in Ukraine. Foreign prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces participate in a press conference organized by Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on March 15, 2024. Foreign prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces participate in a press conference organized by Ukrainian officials in Kyiv on March 15, 2024. Anatoliy Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images “New Russians” The presence of foreigners on the front lines in Ukraine is not a secret. Ukraine has been recruiting foreign volunteers since the beginning of the war, even forming separate units for them. Kyiv does not disclose information about foreigners in its ranks, but their numbers are likely in the thousands—despite many countries, including the UK and a number of European states, persistently warning their citizens against signing contracts. The difference, in the Ukrainian view—an assessment supported by human rights organizations—is that while those fighting for Ukraine have most likely made their decision independently and voluntarily, many of the foreigners in Russia’s ranks did not do so of their own free will. Representatives of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine told CNN that Russia’s tactics for recruiting foreigners boil down to three main methods: blackmail, bribery, and misrepresentation. Russian visas, residence permits, and promises of Russian citizenship—or the threat of their revocation—have become key tools for Russia in its efforts to attract more soldiers. According to Ukrainian intelligence, migrants from Central Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are most likely to join the army for migration-related reasons.
The Kremlin recently simplified the process for foreigners to obtain Russian visas and passports in exchange for military service. Furthermore, last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing for the revocation of citizenship from naturalized Russians if they evade compulsory military service. According to human rights organizations, including Memorial (a human rights organization banned in Russia in December 2021), on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, fighters from Central Asian countries frequently reported threats of imprisonment and deportation if they refused recruitment. Ukrainian defense intelligence confirmed awareness of this practice. Russia does not deny this. As reported by the Russian media RBC, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Alexander Bastrykin, stated in May that Russian authorities had already “identified” 80,000 recently naturalized citizens evading military registration. He specified that 20,000 of these new citizens from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan are currently on the front lines. An advertisement for signing a military contract in Russia was posted on a Telegram channel targeting foreigners. An advertisement for signing a military contract in Russia was posted on a Telegram channel targeting foreigners. Telegram While many foreign-born men are coerced into signing contracts once already in Russia, many others appear to have been intentionally brought into the country for service. According to the information warfare research group OpenMinds, the number of advertisements promoting military contract service specifically targeted at foreigners has increased more than sevenfold since this summer. New analysis by OpenMinds, based on materials from Russia’s most popular social network VKontakte, showed that by mid-2025, every third promotional post about signing a military contract was addressed to foreigners, whereas a year earlier, such advertisements accounted for only 7% of the total. OpenMinds reported that these advertisements often contain assurances that recruits will not be sent to assault units but will be assigned to less risky positions. Data provided exclusively to CNN indicates that approximately half of the promotional messages target Russian-speaking foreigners from former USSR countries, while the rest are aimed at African nations, India, Bangladesh, Iraq, Yemen, and others. Only a small fraction of advertisements—about one-sixth—do not mention any specific country. OpenMinds notes that while interest in military contracts among foreigners was minimal in the first years of the full-scale war, Russian-language Yandex search engine statistics show a tenfold increase in the share of searches for military contracts in post-Soviet countries in 2024, with this growth continuing into 2025. The message of the advertising varies depending on the target audience. According to OpenMinds, many advertisements in Russian promise social and financial bonuses, as well as assistance in obtaining a Russian passport. In Chinese social networks earlier this year, posts were circulating promising good salaries and promoting a certain image of masculinity with slogans like “Be a real man!” One Telegram channel studied by CNN targets an Arabic-speaking audience and promises potential mercenaries expedited Russian visas, a salary of about $2,000–$2,500 per month, free medical care, and a paid lifestyle. The channels mention citizens of Morocco, Jordan, Iraq, Algeria, and Syria as desired recruits. A military contract for a Chinese citizen seen by CNN includes some of these benefits, such as a promise of free education for the soldier after three years of service and coverage of costs for “food, uniforms, and other supplies” by Russia. In return, the contract signatory undertakes to “participate in combat operations, fulfill duties during mobilization, in emergency situations and martial law, armed conflicts, participate in measures to maintain and restore international peace and security or counter international terrorism outside the territory of the Russian Federation.” Relatives of Nepali citizens recruited as mercenaries into the Russian army and killed in the war light candles during a memorial service in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 24, 2024. Relatives of Nepali citizens recruited as mercenaries into the Russian army and killed in the war light candles during a memorial service in Kathmandu, Nepal, on February 24, 2024. Subaas Shrestha/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Ukrainian officials who spoke with CNN on the matter reported that some captured foreigners claimed they were forced to sign contracts in Russian without having the contents explained or receiving a translation. The prisoners who testified to Ukrainian investigators stated that their combat training lasted one to two weeks, after which they were sent to the front line, where they often found themselves in assault groups forced to attack Ukrainian positions despite enormous risks. The number of casualties is staggering—Usov reported that out of over 18,000 foreigners identified by Ukraine, at least 3,388 have been killed. The Ukrainian government has launched a special initiative addressing foreigners fighting on Russia’s side, as well as others unwilling to serve conscription time in Russia, offering them safe haven and prisoner of war status upon surrender. Program pages on the website are available in English, Russian, Spanish, and Arabic. “Construction Jobs” That Don’t Exist While some advertisements are quite explicit about the jobs offered—featuring photos of Russian assault squads and combat soldiers—others are misleading. Personnel from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine told CNN that some prisoners of war told Ukrainian investigators they had come to Russia with promises of construction work, warehouse jobs, or roles as guards or drivers. They noted that this situation was most often described by prisoners from remote and less affluent countries, such as Sri Lanka, Cuba, Nepal, and some African nations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kenya earlier this month issued a statement saying it had identified a human trafficking operation recruiting Kenyans to be sent to the front lines under the guise of foreign job offers. Rescued Kenyan citizens from Russia also reported being misled about the nature of the work and finding themselves in dangerous roles, including assembling drones and working with chemicals. Also last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba reported that upon learning in 2023 that Cuban citizens were fighting in Ukraine, it initiated crackdowns against the recruitment and human trafficking networks responsible. Sentences were announced for 26 individuals, with several more trials pending. Last year, the Sri Lankan government held a series of high-level meetings with Russian officials specifically to discuss the issue of recruiting Sri Lankan citizens for participation in the war. Nepal stated that dozens of its citizens had been recruited using false pretenses to participate in Russia’s military actions and urged Moscow to stop this practice. Last year, Nepal took the drastic measure of banning its citizens from traveling to Russia or Ukraine for employment purposes. Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, head of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, stated this week that these measures have been effective. “In 2023–2024, almost 1,000 Nepali citizens signed a contract with the Russian army. In 2025, as of October 1, only one person from this country has joined the Russian army,” he said.
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