Russia enlists nearly 46,000 foreign nationals to fight against Ukraine
Photo: Foreign prisoners of war in the Russian army (Getty Images)
Russia has significantly increased the number of foreign contractors in its army. They are being sent to war against Ukraine, according to a statement by Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a Brigadier General.
Foreigners in the Russian Army
The Russian Ministry of Defense is signing massive contracts with foreigners. Usov stated this at the fourth international conference, "Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South."
"At the previous conference, we presented figures showing that 28,000 foreigners from 138 countries had been mobilized or recruited into the Russian Armed Forces. Today, we have a figure of nearly 46,000 foreigners who have signed contracts, representing 151 countries," he said.
According to him, Ukraine possesses the personal data of every foreign contractor in the Russian army, including their rank, military dog tag number, and contract signing date.
The number of foreigners recruited by Russia for the war is growing annually. Usov noted that in 2022, only 94 signed contracts were recorded, whereas now the count is in the tens of thousands.
The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to sign 18,500 contracts with foreigners this year, and 16,168 have already been signed, Usov said.
Details on foreign contractors
The top ten countries contributing to the growth in the number of recruited foreigners include:
- Indonesia
- Peru
- Sierra Leone
- Burundi
- Chad
- Philippines
- Congo
- Panama
- Ecuador
- Zimbabwe
At the same time, according to Usov, thanks to the work of Ukrainian structures, recruitment of citizens from certain countries has been reduced or completely stopped.
He also noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Security and Defense Forces have taken citizens of 59 countries prisoner.
Results of the Coordination Headquarters survey:
- Nearly 50% of foreign prisoners of war knew they were going to fight in Ukraine;
- Nearly 47% signed contracts because they wanted to obtain Russian citizenship;
- 48.8% of foreign prisoners of war were captured while wounded;
- Nearly 79% expressed a desire to return to Russia rather than to their countries of citizenship.
According to Usov, foreign contractors want to receive the promised payments for signing contracts and serving, as well as the provided benefits.
Furthermore, 41% of those surveyed stated that their contracts were signed through military commissariats and recruitment centers. Usov believes this is evidence of the systemic nature of Russia's campaign to recruit foreigners for the war.
Russian contractors are trying various ways to avoid possible deployment to the front lines in Ukraine and participation in assaults. This was stated by the Main Intelligence Directorate.
In addition, covert mobilization is spreading in Russia. Forced detentions and coercion into signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense have become commonplace.
