Coordination HQ: Russia has recruited nearly 46,000 foreigners from 151 countries

The scale of foreign recruitment into the Russian armed forces has grown significantly. According to the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the Russian Ministry of Defence has signed contracts with nearly 46,000 citizens from 151 countries worldwide.

Dynamics in the growth of contract soldiers

This was stated by the secretary of the Coordination Headquarters, Brigadier General Dmytro Ussov, speaking at the fourth international conference Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South. He emphasised that at the previous event, the Ukrainian side had recorded only 28,000 foreigners from 138 states. Now, the geography of recruitment has expanded, and the total number of individuals has approached 46,000.

Ussov stressed that the Coordination Headquarters possesses personal data on every foreigner who has signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence. This includes information on military rank, dog tag, and the date the agreement was concluded. For comparison, only 94 such contracts were recorded in 2022, indicating a rapid increase in the scale of the operation.

2026 plans are already nearly fulfilled

According to Ussov, the Russian Ministry of Defence set a plan for 2026 of 18,500 contracts with foreign citizens. As of October, 16,168 such documents have already been signed. The Coordination HQ representative assumes that at the current rate, Russia may not only meet but also exceed the planned figure.

The top ten countries whose citizens have most contributed to the increase in the number of recruits include Indonesia, Peru, Sierra Leone, Burundi, Chad, the Philippines, Congo, Panama, Ecuador, and Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, thanks to the work of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant bodies, it has been possible to reduce or completely stop the recruitment of citizens from certain states.

Survey results among prisoners of war

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian Security and Defence Forces have taken prisoners from 59 countries. The Coordination Headquarters conducted a survey among foreign prisoners of war, the results of which show the following:

• Nearly 50% of those surveyed knew they were going to fight against Ukrainian military forces and the civilian population.
• A further nearly 47% signed contracts hoping to obtain Russian citizenship.
• 48.8% of foreign prisoners of war were captured while wounded.
• 41% reported that they signed contracts through military commissariats and recruitment points.

Meanwhile, nearly 79% of those surveyed stated that they want to return to Russia, rather than to their countries of citizenship. As Ussov explained, among the reasons for this decision is the desire to receive the payments promised by the Russian side for signing a contract and serving in the military, as well as the envisaged benefits.

In Ussov's opinion, the fact that 41% of individuals approached official institutions confirms the systematic nature of the Russian campaign to recruit foreigners, which is organised through structures of the Russian Ministry of Defence.