Russia plans to recruit around 20,000 foreign citizens, including migrants, into its army in 2026. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to the Intelligence Directorate project “I Want to Live,” Russia is intensifying efforts to enlist foreigners, particularly migrants. Across all federal districts of the aggressor state, inspections were conducted to assess the number of foreign men aged 18 to 60.
These checks were carried out by the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces together with the department responsible for citizenship and registration of foreign nationals under Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.
As noted by Ukrainian intelligence, military enlistment offices have been given specific targets: to involve between 0.5% and 3.5% of the total number of foreigners in each region in the criminal war against Ukraine. Recruitment is conducted through 97 contract service selection points.
The largest number of such points operates in the Central Military District (30). There are 21 each in the Moscow and Southern districts, 14 in the Eastern district, and the fewest—11—in the Leningrad district.
In total, Russia’s Ministry of Defense plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreign citizens in 2026.
According to intelligence data, the primary focus is on citizens of Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
At the same time, recruitment efforts are also being carried out outside Russia. Priority regions include Bangladesh, Chad, Sudan, Burundi, and other low-income countries in Africa and Asia.
In addition to official recruitment centers, enlistment within Russian regions is also handled by pseudo-private military structures controlled by Russian intelligence services, including the Main Intelligence Directorate. These groups include “Redut,” “Konvoy,” “Wagner-2,” “Potok,” “Russian Combat Brotherhood,” “Fakel,” “Patriot,” “Plamya,” “Sokol,” and “Veterans.”
According to Intelligence Directorate, recruitment schemes go beyond promises of money, benefits, and Russian citizenship, and also involve pressure and coercion.
In particular, the aggressor state exploits the legal vulnerability of foreign nationals on its territory, including:
- expiration of tourist or student visas;
- inability to extend visas or legalize their stay on time;
- administrative detention for violating migration laws.
“In such conditions—often deliberately created by the Russian regime—foreigners are offered a so-called ‘alternative’ in the form of participation in the war. In reality, it comes down to a choice between long-term imprisonment (sometimes up to 8 years) and signing a contract to serve in Russia’s armed formations,” Ukrainian intelligence emphasized.
The Intelligence Directorate also warned foreign citizens against traveling to Russia or taking up any work there.
“A trip to Russia is a real risk of ending up in an assault unit of ‘disposable soldiers’ and ultimately dying on Ukrainian soil,” the intelligence agency concluded.
