Nearly 200 foreign nationals from 37 countries have been captured while fighting for Russia and are currently held as prisoners of war by Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Brigadier General Dmitry Usov, who heads the POW headquarters, said Ukraine has identified over 18,000 foreigners from 128 countries and territories fighting on Russia’s side—not including thousands of North Korean troops deployed under a military cooperation agreement between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Growing International Concern
The rising number of foreign fighters in Ukraine has prompted multiple governments to issue strong appeals to Moscow to stop recruiting their citizens.
- Kenya’s President William Ruto recently expressed deep concern over “young Kenyans being illegally recruited” to join the war.
- On the same day, South Africa announced it would investigate how 17 of its citizens ended up fighting after the men requested help to return home from the Russia-controlled Donbas region.
- India’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that 44 Indian nationals were fighting for Russia and warned against individuals being “misled into joining.”
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence told CNN that the number of foreigners found on the front lines has been increasing yearly. The number captured in the first nine months of 2025 was double that of all of 2024.
Russia’s Massive Casualty Numbers
Russia has not released official casualty figures. However, Western intelligence agencies estimate that it has suffered over 1 million casualties, including more than 250,000 deaths since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. The UK Defense Intelligence recently assessed that around 1,000 Russian soldiers are killed or wounded every day.
Recruitment Tactics: “Blackmail, Bribery, and Deception”
Ukrainian Defense Intelligence officials say Russia’s foreign recruitment relies heavily on coercion and manipulation.
Foreign migrants from Central Asian countries—Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—are among the most vulnerable.
Last year, President Vladimir Putin signed a law allowing Russia to revoke the citizenship of naturalized citizens who do not register for military service.
According to human rights groups such as Memorial, Central Asian workers are often threatened with imprisonment or deportation unless they join the military.
Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, said in May that authorities had “caught” 80,000 recently naturalized citizens evading military registration. He added that 20,000 of them—from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—were now deployed to the front line.
Forced Contracts and Minimal Training
Captured foreign fighters told Ukrainian investigators they were forced to sign contracts in Russian without translation and with little understanding of the consequences. Training reportedly lasted only one to two weeks before deployment to active combat zones.
General Usov said that out of the more than 18,000 foreign fighters identified, at least 3,388 have been killed.
False Job Offers as a Recruitment Tool
Some POWs revealed they traveled to Russia after being promised jobs in construction, warehouses, private security, or transportation. This tactic was especially common among citizens of Sri Lanka, Cuba, Nepal, and several African countries, many of whom come from low-income communities.
Usov noted that international pressure has reduced the flow of foreign recruits:
“In 2023–2024, nearly 1,000 Nepalese citizens signed contracts with the Russian military. In 2025, as of October 1, only one Nepalese citizen joined.”
