Russia has dramatically stepped up efforts to recruit foreign nationals to fight on its side in Ukraine, deploying a broad — and increasingly aggressive — social-media campaign that promises citizenship, cash, and “safe” support-roles to lure recruits.
According to an Australian Broadcasting Corporation report, Moscow has now enlisted at least 18,000 foreign fighters from 128 countries since the war began. The recruitment drive seems designed to make up for Russia’s growing manpower shortage as the conflict becomes more protracted and as fewer Russian volunteers step forward.
Observers note that the advertised roles often include non-combat jobs — warehouse work, security, logistics or other support functions — with attractive pay and the allure of eventual citizenship. In practice, however, many recruits appear to be ending up on front lines, raising serious questions about the true nature of the campaign.
The geographic reach of the recruitment push is vast. Citizens from across the Middle East, Africa, former Soviet republics, Asia and beyond have reportedly signed up.
Particularly significant is the presence of South Asian recruits: men from Nepal, India and Sri Lanka are increasingly being drawn into Russia’s military ranks.
For instance, the government of India recently acknowledged that 44 Indian nationals are currently serving in the Russian army — a figure confirmed by the country’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
For many of those involved, the original promise was starkly different from the reality. Some reportedly believed they were signing up for legitimate civilian jobs in Russia — perhaps as cooks, labourers or construction workers — only to find themselves forcibly conscripted into combat shortly after arrival.
Families of several of these men say the recruits had their passports and phones confiscated upon arrival, and that communications from them ceased once they were sent to the front.
One publicly documented account describes how a man from Punjab departed for Russia expecting noncombat work but, within weeks, was deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine. His wife—who had been repeatedly assured of odd jobs—last heard from him when he called from a different number and said grimly, “We are being sent to the frontlines.”
Such stories have contributed to mounting concern and alarm among affected families. The casualty toll among foreign fighters has also been substantial. According to Ukrainian officials, at least 3,388 foreign recruits have died while fighting for Russia.
This grim statistic underscores the high risks associated with joining — especially when many recruits reportedly receive little more than minimal training before being thrown into combat.
The recruitment push is part of a broader shift in Russia’s personnel strategy, analysts say — one shaped by tactical necessity as well as political calculus. As domestic enlistment becomes harder and casualties mount, foreign fighters are increasingly filling gaps, even as many governments back home raise alarms about trafficking, coercion and human-rights violations.
In South Asia, the trend has sparked particular concern. Governments in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and beyond have repeatedly warned citizens against falling prey to what they characterise as “job scams” or dubious recruitment offers.
The involvement of Indian nationals — some reportedly trafficked into the war under false promises — has prompted diplomatic action. The MEA has confirmed its engagement with Russian authorities to secure the return of Indian citizens serving in the Russian army and has issued public advisories warning against responding to such offers.
Some analysts and human-rights observers believe the growing reliance on foreign fighters by Moscow signals more than just a tactical adaptation –i t suggests a deepening of systemic faltering in Russia’s war effort.
But others note that Ukraine too has several thousand foreign fighters. In August 2025, a Ukrainian military official stated over 8,000 foreigners joined the Ground Forces, estimating the total across all branches could be twice that high.
Relying on recruitment from economically vulnerable regions, where poverty, unemployment or trafficking networks create fertile ground for coercive enlistment, risks fuelling new humanitarian crises, they warn.
It also raises troubling questions about accountability, the treatment of foreign combatants, and what will happen to them or their remains as the war grinds on.
In a career spanning three decades and counting, Ramananda (Ram to his friends) has been the foreign editor of The Telegraph, Outlook Magazine and the New Indian Express. He helped set up rediff.com’s editorial operations in San Jose and New York, helmed sify.com, and was the founder editor of India.com.
His work has featured in national and international publications like the Al Jazeera Centre for Studies, Global Times and Ashahi Shimbun. But his one constant over all these years, he says, has been the attempt to understand rising India’s place in the world.
He can rustle up a mean salad, his oil-less pepper chicken is to die for, and all it takes is some beer and rhythm and blues to rock his soul.
Talk to him about foreign and strategic affairs, media, South Asia, China, and of course India.
