Kremlin plotting mass recruitment of foreigners in 2026, Ukraine intel reveals
Photo: Russian military (Getty Images)
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence project I Want to Live reported on Russia’s large-scale plans to recruit foreigners into its army. In 2026, the figure is in the tens of thousands.
Mass screening of foreigners
Russia has intensified its campaign to recruit foreigners, primarily migrants. In all federal districts, checks have been carried out on the number of foreign men aged 18 to 60.
The work involved the main organizational and mobilizational directorate of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces and a structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs responsible for the registration and citizenship of foreigners.
Specific plans by region
Military enlistment offices have been given clear targets: to recruit between 0.5% and 3.5% of the total number of foreigners in each region for the war against Ukraine. For this, 97 contract selection points have been deployed.
The largest number of such centers operates in the Central Military District — 30. In the Moscow and Southern districts — 21 each, in the Eastern — 14, and the fewest in the Leningrad district — 11.
Countries for recruitment
According to estimates, in 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreigners.
Priority is given to citizens of Central Asian countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Efforts are underway outside Russia as well — in Bangladesh, Chad, Sudan, Burundi, and other poorer countries in Africa and Asia.
Pressure instead of choice
In addition to official points, recruitment is handled by pseudo-private structures controlled by the special services. Among them are: Redut, Konvoy, Wagner-2, Potok, Boevye Bratya, Fakel, Patriot, Plamya, Sokol, Veterans.
Recruitment schemes include not only promises of payments and citizenship, but also pressure. Vulnerabilities of foreigners are exploited: visa expiration, inability to legalize their stay, detention for migration violations.
In such conditions, people are offered an alternative — participation in the war. In practice, the choice is reduced to imprisonment for up to 8 years or signing a contract.
Russia uses misleading schemes to recruit residents of Crimea for service in the army, promising them service on the peninsula. In reality, such servicemen are sent beyond it and involved in combat operations against Ukraine.
Among Russian military personnel participating in the war against Ukraine, an atypical increase in interest in occult and extrasensory practices is being recorded, which may indicate a decline in trust in traditional religious institutions, in particular the Orthodox Church.
