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In December, Russia recruited 150 foreign nationals from 25 countries to fight in its war against Ukraine, with around 200 more foreigners currently preparing to join the Russian army.
This was reported by Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, according to UATV English.
According to the intelligence assessment, the main recruitment sources are post-Soviet states and countries of the Global South, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Kenya, and China.
The primary motivations for foreign recruits are financial incentives, simplified access to Russian citizenship, and amnesty for convicted criminals.
“Moscow deliberately exploits economic instability in poorer countries and limited legal migration pathways, turning these factors into instruments of control and pressure. The presence of citizens from China, Cuba, or African countries is actively used in propaganda narratives as supposed proof of support from the ‘non-Western world,’” Ivashchenko stressed.
According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, the recruitment of foreigners has a clear political dimension: Moscow seeks to portray the war as a conflict that extends far beyond a bilateral confrontation.
As previously reported, Oleg Aleksandrov, an official with Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said that Russia is also recruiting former Afghan military personnel, including special forces and intelligence operatives, to participate in the war against Ukraine.
