As Russia continues to suffer heavy battlefield losses in its war against Ukraine while seeking to avoid the domestic political costs of another partial mobilization, a new international human rights investigation has revealed a vast cross-border recruitment system that combines voluntary enlistment with what researchers describe as the "predatory" exploitation of economically and socially vulnerable foreign nationals.

The report, published by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in cooperation with Truth Hounds and the Kharkiv Institute for Human Rights (KIBHR), draws on verified intelligence and data from Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. According to figures confirmed through March 2026, at least 27,401 foreign fighters from more than 135 countries have joined Russian forces. The report also notes the deployment of more than 14,000 North Korean troops, operating under intergovernmental arrangements between Moscow and Pyongyang.

Official data and intelligence estimates indicate a sharp rise in the number of foreign recruits formally accepted into the Russian military. Recruitment increased from 3,808 personnel in 2023 to 8,265 in 2024, before climbing to 13,997 in 2025. Intelligence projections suggest that Russia aims to recruit an additional 18,500 foreign nationals by the end of 2026.

Central Asian countries, including Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, account for the largest share of recruits, with more than 10,000 individuals enlisted, hundreds of whom have reportedly been killed. The report also documents the recruitment of nearly 1,800 fighters from South Asia, particularly Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India, as well as an estimated 1,700 to 4,000 recruits from Africa. Additional volunteers have been identified from Latin America and several Arab countries, including Yemen, Iraq, Algeria, and Syria.

Ukrainian data cited in the report indicate that one in five foreign recruits is killed, with nearly half of those fatalities occurring within the first four months of deployment. Investigators attribute these losses to the use of foreign recruits in so-called "meat assaults", high-casualty frontal attacks intended to expose Ukrainian defensive positions.

The investigation outlines a recruitment system based on both deception and institutional coercion, operating inside and outside Russia. Within Russia, authorities allegedly exploit immigration raids targeting migrant workers by forcing them to choose between deportation and signing military contracts. The report also points to legislation introduced in August 2024, allowing authorities to revoke the citizenship of naturalized Russians who fail to register for military service.

Many migrants are reportedly pressured into signing Russian-language military contracts at migration centers, including the Sakharovo Migration Center in Moscow, while completing routine administrative procedures, often without understanding the documents they are signing.

Outside Russia, recruiters allegedly use online advertisements offering civilian jobs in construction, security, and other sectors, promising salaries of up to €3,500 per month along with substantial signing bonuses. According to the report, many applicants only discover they have been recruited for military service after arriving in Russia, where they undergo crash training lasting no more than two weeks before being sent to the frontlines without interpreters or adequate instruction on international humanitarian law.

From a legal perspective, the report concludes that Russia's recruitment practices violate its obligations under the UN Palermo Protocol to the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. It argues that the systematic use of deception, coercion, and the exploitation of fear and vulnerability for forced military service constitutes a form of human trafficking.

The investigation also highlights shortcomings in the current international legal definition of mercenaries, arguing that Russia has been able to circumvent existing rules by formally incorporating foreign recruits into the Russian Armed Forces.

The report calls on countries of origin to investigate and prosecute domestic recruitment networks, strengthen legal protections for their citizens against fraudulent military recruitment, and cooperate with international organizations to facilitate the repatriation of missing recruits and the remains of those killed in the conflict.