How Russia recruits foreign mercenaries for Ukraine war: British intelligence
Photo: Russia is recruiting foreigners for the war against Ukraine (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia continues to recruit foreign mercenaries for its war against Ukraine. From April 2023 to the end of May 2024, more than 1,500 foreigners were recruited in Moscow, according to the UK Ministry of Defense on X.
It is noted that the largest number of volunteers came from South and East Asia (771 individuals), followed by former Soviet republics (523 individuals) and African countries (72 individuals).
British analysts believe that the recruitment of foreigners in Russia is unsystematic. Most volunteers are motivated by financial incentives and the prospect of obtaining Russian citizenship.
"Foreign nationals almost certainly make up a very small proportion of the Russian Armed Forces' total recruitment number, with a significantly greater emphasis placed on recruiting from within Russia," the report states.
British intelligence suggests that Russia will continue recruiting foreigners in the medium term, as it maintains its strategy of replacing significant battlefield losses without resorting to a second wave of mobilization.
Russian military losses in the war against Ukraine
According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Russia has lost more than 948,000 soldiers since the start of its full-scale war against Ukraine.
In just the last 24 hours, Ukrainian forces eliminated approximately 1,030 Russian invaders.
Among the occupiers captured by the Defense Forces are citizens of North Korea and China. Two North Korean soldiers were taken prisoner by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.
This spring, two Chinese nationals were captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donetsk region. Currently, Beijing has not publicly expressed a desire to retrieve its citizens.
