Since the start of the full-scale invasion, hundreds of foreign citizens from 47 countries have surrendered in Ukraine...

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, hundreds of foreign citizens from 47 countries around the world have surrendered in Ukraine.

Foreign mercenaries are one of the basic themes of Russian propaganda. Speakers for the Russian Armed Forces regularly make claims about thousands of British mercenaries allegedly killed in a single day, about Polish speech heard over radios, about French special forces in every civilian building, which are then destroyed by Russian missiles in Ukrainian cities.

This technique is called “mirroring” — attributing one’s own actions, intentions, and crimes to the opponent. Russia began recruiting foreigners in 2022, in parallel with recruiting convicts in prisons. At first, this was also handled by the so-called Wagner PMC, a de facto cover for the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. After the liquidation of Prigozhin and Wagner’s leadership, recruitment came fully under the control of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Inside Russia itself, the main target became labor migrants from Central Asia, who are offered money and Russian citizenship, or are put in conditions where they are forced to choose between prison or deportation and signing a contract.

In “distant areas,” the main targets became the poorest regions, above all in countries of the so-called Global South. Russia is brazenly buying people for itself in countries its propaganda calls friendly. Recruitment grew exponentially. In 2022, the number of foreigners in the Russian Armed Forces was counted in the dozens. In 2023, the number of those who signed contracts was at least 3,808 people (these are only those whose personal data we have). In 2024, the Russian Federation managed to recruit 8,265 people, and in 2025, 13,997. According to available data, the plan for 2026 is 18,500 foreign citizens.

The first prisoners of war from far abroad began arriving as early as autumn 2023. They were Nepalese, recruited with promises of citizenship and high payments. In 2026, almost every week, among dozens of Russian servicemen surrendering, 2–3 turn out to be citizens of third countries, and their geography keeps expanding.

Unlike Russia, Ukraine complies with the Geneva Conventions. Although they are foreigners, since they were servicemen of the regular army, all of them are held in Ukraine with the status of prisoners of war and are not prosecuted as mercenaries.

Ukraine does not object to their participation in exchanges, but the Russian side is reluctant to take even its own citizens back from captivity — let alone foreigners. Kashevarova will not write about them, Moskalkova will not report on them. They also do not have their own deputy in the Russian State Duma who would fight for their return, the way people fight for Kadyrov’s men from Akhmat. For Russia, they are already spent material, not people for whom it bears responsibility.

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