The Russian army will continue recruiting foreign mercenaries to avoid declaring a second wave of mobilization to replenish its significant losses in the war against Ukraine.
This information was shared by the UK Ministry of Defence on social media, citing intelligence data.
"Foreigners make up a small part of the total number of recruits in the Russian army. The primary focus of recruitment is within Russia itself. However, some recruitment of foreigners will almost certainly continue in the medium term. Russia will adhere to its recruitment strategy aimed at compensating for heavy battlefield losses without the need to announce a second wave of mobilization," the Ministry said.
According to the Russian publication Vazhniye Istorii, the Russian army has recruited more than 1,500 foreigners in Moscow (from April 2023 to the end of May 2024) for the war against Ukraine.
The largest group consists of individuals from South and East Asia (771), followed by citizens from former Soviet republics (523), and third place is held by representatives from Africa.
British intelligence reports that the recruitment of foreigners by the Russian army is not systematic.
