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Russia Offers $20,000 to Iranian Recruits in Secret Mercenary Campaign
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Russia has launched an active campaign to recruit mercenaries in Iran, Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) reported on December 14.
According to the CCD, leaflets offering paid service in the Russian army have appeared in several Iranian cities. The ads promise $20,000 in upfront payments and around $2,000 per month. They direct potential recruits to a Telegram channel created in November 2025, where recruitment is conducted in multiple languages.
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Journalists who contacted one of the recruiters were told directly that the campaign is coordinated by the Russian side inside Iran. The CCD said that despite attempts by the Russian embassy in Iran to deny involvement, this recruitment effort fits a long-established pattern used by Russia.
“This is a typical element of Russia’s systemic recruitment network, which for years has been targeting people in poor and crisis-hit countries,” the Center said.
It added that Iran is considered particularly vulnerable due to its difficult economic situation, high unemployment, and the presence of large numbers of Afghan refugees, who often become targets of such schemes.
The CCD stressed that recruitment in Iran is not an isolated case but part of a broader Russian strategy to offset heavy battlefield losses and prepare for new offensive operations. According to intelligence estimates cited by the Center, Russia has already recruited at least 18,000 foreign nationals from 128 countries, frequently through deception, coercion, or financial exploitation.
Earlier, it was reported taht Ukraine was systematically notifying foreign governments about cases of their nationals being recruited into the Russian armed forces, citing information on 136 mercenaries from 37 countries who were captured by Ukrainian troops.
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