Moscow has developed a mechanism to forcibly involve foreign nationals in military service while avoiding direct recruitment.
Amid heavy losses in Ukraine, the Kremlin has turned to a new reserve: migrants in Russia without citizenship. Since most countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America officially oppose recruiting their citizens into the Russian army, Moscow has chosen a circumvention strategy—artificially creating conditions that make remaining in the country without a Russian passport nearly impossible. The only proposed solution is signing a contract with the Russian armed forces, which automatically opens the path to citizenship.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, over 157,000 foreign nationals violating migration laws were forcibly expelled in 2024—a 45% increase from the previous year. In 2025, the number fell to 72,000. Interior Minister Kolokoltsev explained the drop simply:
“We could have sent ten times more, but there is not enough funding.”
Those not expelled may soon be given an alternative—deployment to the front.
The ministry has prepared amendments to the Code of Administrative Offenses, significantly expanding grounds for pressure on foreigners. These include liability for extremism, threats to public or informational security, violations of religious legislation, coercion to strike, abuse of free speech, and dissemination of extremist content via audiovisual services. For violations of Article 20.29 of the Russian Code (“Distribution of extremist materials”), expulsion is proposed as the primary punishment. Fines for breaching residency rules will also rise sharply.
The increase in fines in Russia is traditionally accompanied by more bribery—and the Kremlin understands this. The real goal of the mechanism is different: to push migrants, who want to normalize their family situation and avoid persecution, to voluntarily sign a contract. Formally, there is no coercion, no recruitment. The person simply “chooses” citizenship through service in the Russian army.
