Jordan has formally demanded that Russia halt the recruitment of Jordanian nationals into the Russian Armed Forces, after two Jordanian citizens were reported killed while fighting on behalf of Moscow.
In a statement on Thursday, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the recruitment “a violation of Jordanian law and international law,” warning that such actions place Jordanian citizens in “serious and immediate danger.”
Ministry spokesperson Fuad al-Majali urged Jordanians to report any attempts to recruit them into the Russian military, cautioning that they face both legal consequences and potential loss of life if they participate in foreign armed forces.
He added that Amman has formally requested that Russian authorities cease all recruitment efforts targeting Jordanians and release any Jordanian nationals currently enlisted.
According to the Foreign Ministry, officials are also aware of online recruitment attempts, a trend that has raised further concern among Jordanian authorities, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported.
Jordanian law strictly prohibits its citizens from joining the armed forces of any foreign state.
While the precise number of Jordanians recruited by Russia remains unknown, several hundred Jordanians currently reside in Russia, and more than 20,000 Jordanians have studied in former Soviet states, according to unofficial estimates.
At the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine—and during Moscow’s continued backing of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad—Russian president Vladimir Putin had previously announced his intention to recruit up to 16,000 fighters from the Middle East. Subsequent reports indicated that around 2,000 regular Syrian troops were later deployed to Russia.
