Why Russia is Luring Foreign Fighters

Moscow is luring foreign fighters to fight in its war in Ukraine in a scramble for manpower as its pool of domestic fighters dries up.

In recent weeks, citizens of Cuba, Armenia, and Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic bordering Russia, have been targeted through various means. At the same time, British intelligence assesses that Russia is recruiting soldiers in neighboring countries. Reports have emerged that migrant workers with Russian citizenship are being rounded up to fight in Ukraine. This comes as Russia's recruitment drive within its borders appears to yield poor results.

On Monday, Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had uncovered a "human trafficking network" that targeted its citizens to join the Russian military and participate in operations in Ukraine. The ministry didn't elaborate on how many of its citizens had been targeted or successfully recruited, and the Kremlin hasn't commented.

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.

An investigation by the Moscow Times' Russian service found that Cuban men are being targeted for recruitment through social media groups, including on Facebook. One ad promises a monthly income of 204,000 rubles ($2,090 USD) and the possibility of Russian citizenship for signing a 12-month contract with the Russian military.

A woman named Elena Shuvalova, who created many of the posts advertising the exchange, told the publication that she had already arranged for several Cuban citizens to fight in Ukraine. When asked if she works for Russia's Defense Ministry, she declined to comment.

"[Contractors] earn an income and a rather good one at that. Everyone wants to immediately rent a luxury apartment. But if necessary, in the first couple of weeks before the paycheck comes in, we can help move the family in somewhere and feed them," she said.

According to the British Defense Ministry, Russian authorities have recently been ramping up their appeals to citizens of neighboring countries to fight in Ukraine, with online ads spotted in Armenia and Kazakhstan offering 495,000 rubles ($5,140) in initial payments and salaries from 190,000 rubles ($1,973).

The ministry's intelligence update from Sunday notes that since at least May, Russia has approached Central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine with promises of fast-track citizenship and salaries of up to $4,160.

Meanwhile, in Russia, more than 100 migrants with Russian citizenship were rounded up during a two-day raid in the south of St. Petersburg last month and made to register at a military enlistment office, local publication RBC reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reportedly under increasing pressure to take a more aggressive approach to his war against Ukraine and introduce a full-scale mobilization in the country to bolster its manpower.

Putin announced a "partial mobilization" of the population in the fall of 2022. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on September 21 last year that Russia would target 300,000 reservists and ex-military personnel with "certain military specialties and relevant experience."

The Kremlin has repeatedly brushed off reports of a covert mobilization or that a second wave of mobilization could occur.

The number of soldiers who have signed up to fight in Ukraine this year is likely far fewer than authorities hoped for, according to the Moscow Times.

U.K. intelligence assessed that Russia likely wishes to avoid further unpopular domestic mobilization measures in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections.

"Exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties," it said.

Konstantin Sonin, a Russian-born political economist from the University of Chicago, previously told Newsweek that Putin is likely deterred from announcing an open mass mobilization because the propaganda narrative that he and his entourage are pushing is that Russia is not waging a war but is conducting a limited-scale military operation.

"This is what he is fed in the army and police reports, and this is the language that he speaks to his subordinates and the general public. Announcing a mobilization in the open will be a drastic departure from this worldview, almost like bursting from an informational bubble," Sonin said, explaining that even if Putin does attempt to draft more men for the war, it will be accompanied by rhetoric claiming nothing new is happening.

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