Russia continues to systematically involve foreign citizens in the war against Ukraine. In December alone, foreign intelligence identified over 150 foreigners from 25 countries who were recruited into the Russian army. Another 200 are preparing to join the Russian Armed Forces. This was stated by the Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Oleh Ivashchenko, writes UNN.
Details
The main sources of recruitment are states of the post-Soviet space and countries of the Global South, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Kenya, China, and others.
As the main motivation for foreigners, the Head of the SZR (Foreign Intelligence Service) named financial reward, simplified citizenship, and amnesty for convicts.
Moscow deliberately plays on the economic instability of poor countries and limited legal migration routes, turning these factors into a means of control and pressure
According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, the involvement of foreigners has a distinct political subtext: Moscow seeks to present the war as a conflict that goes far beyond a bilateral confrontation.
The presence of citizens of China, Cuba, or African countries is actively used in propaganda narratives as proof of support from the "non-Western world"