Russia plans to recruit nearly 20,000 foreigners into its troops in 2026

Russia plans to recruit about 20,000 foreigners into its armed forces in 2026, Ukraine's Khochu Zhyty ("I Want to Live") project run by Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) has reported

Source: DIU

Quote: "Russia is stepping up efforts to recruit foreigners, including migrants, into its occupying army. Control checks have been carried out in all federal districts of the aggressor state to establish the number of foreign men aged 18 to 60."

Details: Military enlistment offices in Russia are expected to recruit between 0.5% and 3.5% of the total number of foreigners in each region for the war against Ukraine.

Overall, Russia's Defence Ministry plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreign nationals into its ranks in 2026.

The Russian military authorities are reportedly particularly interested in citizens of Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.

Recruitment efforts are also being conducted outside Russia. Priority areas include Bangladesh, Chad, Sudan, Burundi and others among the poorest countries in Africa and Asia.

In addition to official recruitment points, pseudo-private military organisations created under the control of Russian security services, including the Russian Military Intelligence (GRU), are recruiting foreigners in Russian regions. These include Redut, Convoy, Wagner-2, Potok, Russian Combat Brotherhood, Fakel, Patriot, Plamya, Sokol and Veterans.

DIU added that the schemes used to recruit foreigners include not only promises of money, benefits and Russian citizenship, but also pressure and coercion.

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