Category
Latest news

Russia Recruited Over 1,500 Foreigners for War Against Ukraine, UK Intelligence Shows

2 min read
Authors
Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
AUTHOR
Russia Recruited Over 1,500 Foreigners for War Against Ukraine, UK Intelligence Shows
Russian soldiers gather during a military training exercise in a field near a forested area. Illustrative photo. (Source: Russian media)

Russia has recruited more than 1,500 foreign nationals to fight against Ukraine between April 2023 and May 2024, according to a recent intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defense on April 27.

The update, published on the Ministry’s official X account, states that the majority of foreign recruits came from South and East Asia, accounting for 771 individuals. They were followed by citizens from former Soviet republics (523) and African countries (72).

British intelligence assesses that Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals is largely uncoordinated. Analysts suggest that financial incentives and the potential for obtaining Russian citizenship are the main factors motivating foreigners to sign military contracts.

“Many foreign citizens are almost certainly recruited specifically through Moscow due to higher signing bonuses and the city’s relative international accessibility,” the UK Ministry of Defense noted.

Despite these efforts, foreign nationals reportedly make up only a very small proportion of the total number of new recruits in Russia’s armed forces. The primary focus remains on domestic recruitment inside Russia.

The intelligence update further indicates that Moscow is likely to continue enlisting foreign citizens over the medium term. This strategy is intended to offset battlefield losses without triggering a second wave of mobilization.

According to analysts, while foreign recruitment will persist, it is unlikely to significantly alter the composition of Russia’s military forces, given the scale of domestic enlistment efforts.

Earlier, Michael Gloss, the 21-year-old son of CIA Deputy Director Julian Gallina Gloss, traveled to Russia in 2023, where he trained at the Avangard center near Moscow and later joined the Russian military under the alias Hamza Ali.

Despite his family’s efforts to bring him home, Gloss enlisted without informing them and was eventually deployed to Ukraine, where he was killed during Russian aggression in Donetsk region in April 2024.

See all