Russia recruited over 150 foreigners into its army in December
In December, Russia enlisted more than 150 foreigners from 25 countries into its armed forces, with around 200 more preparing to join, according to Oleg Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
The main sources of recruitment are countries in the post-Soviet space and Global South nations, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Kenya, China, and others. The primary incentives for foreigners to join are financial rewards, simplified citizenship, and amnesty for convicted individuals.
Ivashchenko emphasized that Moscow deliberately exploits economic instability in poor countries and limited legal migration opportunities to exert control and pressure.
According to him, recruiting foreigners also has political and propaganda purposes: Russia aims to portray the war as a conflict with a global dimension. The presence of citizens from China, Cuba, and African countries is actively used in propaganda to suggest alleged support from the “non-Western world.”
In Kenya, authorities uncovered a network recruiting people for the Russian occupiers’ army.
