Amnesty says Russia lures foreign nationals into fighting in Ukraine
Amnesty International reports that Russia deceives and exploits foreign nationals' vulnerable circumstances to recruit them for the war against Ukraine, often promising jobs instead of combat. Ukraine estimates over 27,000 foreigners from 135 countries have been recruited since 2022.
Amnesty International has published a report documenting testimonies of foreign nationals who say they were misled or pressured into joining Russia's fight against Ukraine, with recruiters often exploiting their precarious circumstances.
One case involves a Sri Lankan national identified as Dinesh, who says he was approached about joining the army after his Russian work visa had expired. Following two weeks of training, he was sent to the front line, where he was captured by Ukrainian forces two months later.
Promised jobs, delivered to the front
Other witnesses say they were lured from abroad under the pretense of taking on unrelated work. A Brazilian man, referred to in the report as Pedro, told Amnesty he believed he was signing a contract for a well-paid IT job in Russia, but instead was taken to a military training center and later sent to fight.
Russia's methods for recruiting foreign nationals have already been documented in multiple previous reports and have sparked diplomatic tensions. Countries including Kenya and Ghana have called on Russia to stop recruiting their citizens for the war.
Tens of thousands recruited
Ukrainian authorities estimated in March that Russia has recruited at least 27,000 foreign nationals from 135 countries since 2022. The largest groups come from Tajikistan, Belarus and Kazakhstan — countries with traditionally large flows of migrants to Russia.
A Kremlin spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
