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Moldovan Man Signed Russian Army Contract Under Deportation Threat, Died Within Two Months
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A Moldovan citizen signed a contract with the Russian military after being threatened with deportation and was later killed during an assault operation in Ukraine, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR).
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The agency identified the man as Viktor Tabyrtsa, a Moldovan citizen born on January 11, 1980, and described his case as another example of Russia recruiting foreign migrants to fight in its war against Ukraine.
According to HUR, authorities in Dankov, Russia’s Lipetsk region, issued Tabyrtsa a ruling on March 18, 2026, declaring that he was residing illegally in the country. His wife and daughter, born in 2007, are Russian citizens and live in the city of Lipetsk.
Tabyrtsa was fined 5,000 rubles, approximately $59, and informed that he would be deported from Russia. He was subsequently placed in a migrant detention facility.
While being held there, Tabyrtsa was presented with a choice between deportation and signing a contract with the Russian military. He ultimately chose to enlist, HUR said.
Despite being blind in one eye, Tabyrtsa signed the military contract on April 28 and was immediately sent to a training center. By the first half of May, he had been deployed to the front in Ukraine.
Less than two months after signing the contract, Tabyrtsa was killed during an assault operation in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region in June, according to HUR.
Ukrainian intelligence presented the case as part of a broader pattern of Russia exploiting the vulnerable legal status of foreign migrants to recruit personnel for its military.
According to data from Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project cited by HUR, Russia has recruited at least 857 Moldovan citizens to fight against Ukraine. Of those, 81 have been confirmed killed, while another eight are being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
The recruitment of Moldovan citizens is part of a much broader effort to attract foreign nationals into the Russian military. Overall, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has documented more than 28,000 foreigners who have signed contracts to serve in Russia’s armed forces, with the figure continuing to rise.
As the number of foreign recruits grows, Russia has also introduced a separate system for identifying and tracking them. HUR reported on August 17 that foreign nationals serving in the Russian military are being assigned serial identification numbers, which are placed on their uniforms or directly on their bodies instead of conventional military identification tags.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, the practice is intended to tighten control over foreign recruits and facilitate their identification.
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-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
-537d00d772e067edfb85aba96e6124ee.jpg "A Russian serviceman patrols on the promenade in Berdyansk, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine, on June 14, 2022. (Source: Getty Images)")