A Ukrainian official on Friday accused Russia of increasing its recruitment of foreign mercenaries to fight in the Ukraine war.
Petro Yatsenko, spokesperson of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, made the accusation during a Kyiv press conference, saying Russia has been seeking out more fighters from countries with a "difficult economic situation."
Moscow has long been accused of enlisting troops from countries such as Nepal, Cuba, India and Somalia since the start of the war Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022. Days after the invasion began, the BBC carried a report that detailed how Russia attempts to recruit international mercenaries through posts on social media.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu even claimed early into the invasion that 16,000 fighters from the Middle East had volunteered to serve for Russia, while the paramilitary Wagner Group was well-known for enlisting foreigners.
According to Yatsenko, Moscow has recently ramped up its attempts to sign up troops from outside Russia.
"We see that Russia boosted its efforts to send citizens from countries with difficult economic situations to the front line," Yatsenko said, according to The Kyiv Independent.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Friday for comment.
Yatsenko went on to say that perhaps the reason for the increased move toward foreign recruits is that Russia's domestic "mobilization resource has been reducing."
Last year, the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense said Russia was reportedly not meeting military personnel goals with recruitment not keeping pace with the Russian casualty rate in Ukraine. As a result, Moscow had escalated its recruitment of prison inmates.
Analysts have also speculated that Putin could have been avoiding mobilization of Russian troops prior to the presidential election—which began on Friday—as the move could prove to be unpopular to voters.
Yatsenko, whose press conference featured soldiers from other countries captured by Ukrainian forces on stage with him, said Russia lures in mercenaries with false promises only to use them as "cannon fodder." The Kyiv official also claimed that one in 1,000 foreign troops fighting for Russia ends up getting captured.
The Independent noted that under rules of the Geneva Conventions, mercenaries do not have the right to be treated as prisoners of war, and their participation in war is treated as a crime.
"As trials have not taken place yet, Ukraine will follow the Geneva Conventions' prisoners of war treatment rules. They [captured foreign fighters] will get three meals daily, medical treatment if needed and a humane attitude," Yatsenko said, per the Independent.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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