For average wage earners in Russia, it’s a big payday. For criminals seeking to escape teh harsh conditions and abuse in prison, it’s a chance at freedom. For immigrants hoping for a better life, it’s a simplified path to citizenship.
All they have to do is sign a contract to fight in Ukraine.
This desperate recruitment drive is part of Moscow’s strategy to replenish its forces in the nearly four-year conflict, while simultaneously avoiding an unpopular nationwide mobilisation. The bloody war of attrition has also seen foreign combatants join the fray. Following a mutual defense treaty in 2024, North Korea reportedly sent thousands of soldiers to help Russia defend its Kursk region against a Ukrainian incursion.
Moreover, men from South Asian countries, including India, Nepal, and bangladesh, have reported being duped by recruiters who promised legitimate jobs, only to find themselves conscripted for combat. Officials in Kenya, South Africa, and Iraq have confirmed similar instances of their citizens being misled into fighting.
The government offers high pay and extensive benefits to enlistees. Regional authorities offer various enlistment bonuses, sometimes amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
In the Khanty-Mansi region of central Russia, for exmaple, an enlistee would get about $50,000 in various bonuses, according to the local government. That’s more than twice the average annual income in the region,where monthly salaries in the first 10 months of 2025 were reported to be just over $1,600.
There also are tax breaks, debt relief and other perks.
Despite Kremlin claims of relying on voluntary enlistment, media reports and rights groups say conscripts – men aged 18-30 performing fixed-term mandatory military service and exempted from being sent to Ukraine – are often coerced by superiors into signing contracts that send them into battle.
Recruitment also extends to prisoners and those in pretrial detention centers, a practice led early in the war by the late mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and adopted by the Defence Ministry. Laws now allow recruitment of both convicts and suspects in criminal cases.
Foreigners also are recruiting targets, both inside Russia and abroad.
Laws were adopted offering accelerated Russian citizenship for enlistees. Russian media and activists also report that raids in areas where migrants typically live or work lead to them being pressuring into military service.
Russia’s Military Recruitment and Foreign Fighters in Ukraine (as of January 27, 2026)
Table of Contents
This report analyzes claims regarding Russia’s military recruitment practices and the involvement of foreign fighters in the conflict in Ukraine, based on a source dated December 20, 2025, and updated with current verification as of January 27, 2026. The original source is considered untrusted and is used solely for topic identification.
Vladimir Putin and the russian Military
According to the original source, russian President Vladimir Putin stated that 700,000 troops are currently fighting for Russia in Ukraine. This figure has been consistently reported by Russian state media throughout 2025. however, independent verification of troop numbers remains challenging. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) estimates, as of January 2026, that Russia has committed a meaningful portion of its conventional forces to the conflict, but precise numbers are arduous to ascertain due to operational security and varying definitions of “troops” (including support personnel). https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/ukraine-conflict-updates
foreign Fighters in the Russian Military
The original source cites a Ukrainian agency for the treatment of prisoners of war reporting over 18,000 foreign nationals have fought or are fighting on the Russian side, with nearly 3,400 killed and hundreds held as POWs.
Verification: While Ukrainian officials have consistently claimed the presence of foreign fighters within Russian ranks, independent confirmation of these numbers is limited. Reports from several sources, including the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, indicate that individuals from various countries, including nepal, Serbia, and Syria, have been recruited to fight alongside Russian forces. https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/ukraine/pages/hrreports However, the exact figures provided by the Ukrainian agency have not been independently verified. The ISW notes that Russia actively recruits from prisons and marginalized communities, both domestically and internationally, offering financial incentives and citizenship as enticements.
Recruitment Challenges and Kremlin Strategies
The original source highlights that Russia is facing increasing costs associated with recruitment, despite seemingly stable efforts. Artyom Klyga, head of the legal department at the Movement of Conscientious Objectors, notes that most seeking assistance to avoid service are Russian citizens. Kateryna Stepanenko of the ISW suggests the Kremlin has become more “creative” in attracting enlistees, including foreigners.
Verification: Reports from late 2025 and early 2026 confirm a continued, albeit increasingly difficult, recruitment drive by Russia. The Russian economy, impacted by sanctions and the demands of the war effort, is experiencing strains. https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/russian-economy-faces-tough-2026-sanctions-war-bite-2026-01-26/ The use of private military companies (PMCs), like the Wagner Group (though considerably diminished after the August 2023 rebellion), demonstrated a willingness to employ non-traditional recruitment methods. The Russian government has also implemented measures to streamline the conscription process and increase penalties for draft evasion. The Movement of Conscientious Objectors continues to report a steady stream of requests for assistance from Russian citizens seeking to avoid military service. https://conscientious-objectors.org/ (Note: This is a pro-objector website, so details should be viewed with consideration of its bias).
Latest Verified Status (January 27, 2026): Russia continues to actively recruit personnel for its military operations in Ukraine, employing both traditional conscription and increasingly creative methods, including targeting foreign nationals. The economic strain of the war is increasing recruitment costs. Independent verification of specific numbers regarding foreign fighter participation remains limited, but evidence confirms their presence within Russian forces.
