Amnesty International has accused Russia of trafficking foreign nationals into military service after they were lured to the country with promises of well-paid civilian or non-combat jobs. The report, released on Thursday, says victims from Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka and South Africa were forced to join the Russian army and were sent to fight on the front lines in Ukraine.
How the recruitment allegedly worked
According to the report, recruiters advertised jobs such as driving and other civilian work, sometimes directing applicants to travel to Russia for a supposed employment opportunity. A South African man who applied for a driving job in Poland was instead told after arriving in Moscow that he would become a soldier, his wife told Amnesty International.
The rights group also reported coercion involving migrants and refugees already in Russia. It said all interviewees described severe restrictions on their freedom of movement after signing military contracts. Related coverage: How Ukraine is targeting Russia’s military space network.
Key points
- Amnesty interviewed prisoners of war at two Ukrainian camps between 2024 and 2026, along with foreign soldiers, relatives, lawyers, activists and journalists.
- The report says misleading online advertisements and local agents were used to recruit people abroad.
- Recruits from Brazil and Sri Lanka said their passports and mobile phones were taken during training.
- Amnesty says many recruits were promised salaries and sign-up bonuses that were not paid.
What Amnesty says about the legal finding
Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said the recruitment of economically vulnerable foreign nationals to reinforce Russia’s armed forces amounted in many cases to human trafficking under the United Nations Palermo Protocol.
Amnesty said it could not investigate foreign nationals serving in Ukraine’s army because it does not have access to prisoners of war held in Russia, which designates the organisation as a “foreign agent”. Russia has previously rejected accusations that it coerced foreigners into joining its army.
Foreign nationals on both sides
The report said Russia and Ukraine have recruited thousands of foreign nationals since Russia launched its invasion. It cited an estimate of 28,000 foreigners from 136 countries fighting in the Russian army, as well as officials’ belief that Russia deployed about 14,000 North Korean troops during Ukraine’s 2024 incursion into the Kursk region. Read the context: Japan recognizes increasing urgency to combat foreign espionage following Russian spy network report.
Ukraine says 16,000 foreign nationals from more than 70 countries are serving in its army, with nearly 40 percent from Latin America. Amnesty said it could not conduct equivalent inquiries into those recruits because of its lack of access to Russian-held prisoners of war.
No comments yet. Start the discussion.