Russia recruits foreign fighters from at least 21 countries for its war against Ukraine
Ukraine's military intelligence says the number of foreign mercenaries in the Russian army has grown by 25% in a year. It named at least 21 countries from which Russia brings people to fight in Ukraine.
The number of foreign mercenaries in the Russian army has risen by 25% over the past year. This follows a response to a request from the outlet Ukrainska Pravda by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, which named at least 21 countries from which Russia brings people to fight in its war against Ukraine.
Why Russia turns to foreigners
Russia is relying more on foreigners because recruiting inside the country is getting harder. The pace of contract-soldier recruitment in Russian regions is falling. Higher payments are not fixing the problem, even though signing a contract pays on average $16,000–18,500. As Ukrainska Pravda reported earlier, the Kremlin is therefore moving to a "quiet" mobilisation and is looking for 600,000 new soldiers.
Where the recruits come from
Russia recruits most actively in post-Soviet states: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Increasingly, though, Russian recruiters are also looking for people willing to fight in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Panama, Peru and Vietnam were recently added to the list.
North Korea sends troops
North Korea sends Russia not individual mercenaries but its own soldiers. More than 8,000 are already there, and about 10,000 more are going through selection and training. Russia already used North Korean troops in fighting in the Kursk region in late 2024 and early 2025, pushing back Ukraine's defence forces. At that time Moscow and Pyongyang even officially acknowledged their participation.
Ukrainska Pravda has published the full list of countries in an infographic.
