Russia continues to advertise and recruit foreign citizens to join the ranks of the Russian army for participation in combat actions in Ukraine. They are sent not to "special" units but to regular units on the front line.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom on Twitter.
As stated in the message, in the latest leaflet written in English, foreigners are offered to join a "special" unit of the Russian army with a monthly salary of $2200, a $2000 payout, Russian citizenship, free medical service, and education.
According to British intelligence, in mid-2023, online job advertisements were distributed specifically targeting citizens of neighboring countries such as Armenia and Kazakhstan, with monthly salary offers of $1973 and payouts of $5140.
Moreover, during 2023, Russia also targeted migrants from Central Asia within Russia. Recently, there have been reports that migrants from India and Nepal were recruited and sent to fight in Ukraine.
"It is likely that many of those that have been recruited are not professional soldiers but migrant workers and have been coerced to fight under false pretences or with the offer of financial incentives," the message stated.
The number of foreign citizens in the Russian armed forces is likely to be small, and they will likely be integrated into regular units rather than "special" ones. "Russia probably wants to avoid further unpopular measures of internal mobilization, and considering the significant losses (currently estimated at 913 persons per day), Russia needs to continue exploring all recruitment options to maintain high rates of influx," noted the Ministry of Defense of Britain.
