February 27, 2025

Foreigners in the Russian Army


Foreigners in the Russian Army
Passports from all around the world. Baigal Byamba, Wikimedia Commons.

Three years into Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Russian citizens' interest in joining the ranks has severely declined. Independent outlet Verstka investigated why foreign nationals from Africa and Asia, despite not speaking Russian, are rushing to fill Russia's manpower void.

Morale for enlisting in the Russian army grew significantly when Ukraine began its counterattack into neighboring Kursk Oblast. In August, 2024, 200 to 250 men per day flocked to sign contracts with the military in Moscow alone. Now, however, that number has fallen to 40. Some of these men are convicted criminals or citizens under investigation looking for judicial amnesty. The rest can't or barely speak Russian. 

According to Verstka, the foreigners arrive in groups, but there is no known campaign from the Ministry of Defense to bring people to enlist. An undisclosed source at the Moscow mayor's office told the publication, "A lot of China and a lot of Africa. People come in [in groups of] 15, 10 at a time. As if they were handing them in." The government employee claims that many of these men seem to arrive in Moscow thanks to the internet or friends. The source suspects there is a "systematic" scheme.

In the past, human trafficking networks have tricked men from India and Cuba into fighting in Russia's war on Ukraine by promising them high-paying jobs. Russia has put posters to lure men to join its ranks in Syria and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. Despite government warnings on the dangers of fighting in a foreign war, men from countries across Africa and Asia are showing up at the united point of selection in Moscow's Yablochkova Street to enlist.

A Ghanaian man told Verstka he was invited by a friend to come to Russia. He saw ads to join the army everywhere in the Metro. "I came and I realized there's an opportunity to join the army (...) To serve is my dream," he said. Another Ghanaian man said he joined the Russian army because "I like Russia because of [Roman] Abramovich, [the owner of] Chelsea [Football Club]. I have developed a love for Russia. I watch Russian films." 

A Chinese man told Verstka that "some guy" on the internet told him about the opportunity to join the Russian army. "My parents got some illness [so] I need more money. I don't know if it's legal to join [the] Russian Army," he said.

A student from Bangladesh came to Yablochkova Street to enlist upon a friend's recommendation. "My friend joined the Russian Army 20 days ago. He’s alive and all right. He finished training and is now going to the Russian border. He’s safe." His ultimate goal is to financially support his family back home. Another Bangladeshi man came with the student. When asked why he was joining the army, he said "I like the Russian army."

Verstka's source in the mayor's office said, "The Chinese are all for the money, 100 percent. The Africans are overwhelmingly for military experience. Everyone says they would like to serve in their own country, but there is no such opportunity." Fighters from countries in the CIS tend to be seeking Russian citizenship. The government employee called the foreigners' declarations of love for Russia "bullshit."

Almost all recruits from Africa and Asia do not speak Russian. According to Verstka's source, all recruits are told that they will have to communicate in Russian at the front because nobody in the army will speak English to them. The government employee said, "How do you do [translation] without access to the internet? You need to at least learn the words 'forward,' 'back,' 'to the shelter,' and so on."

You Might Also Like

Russia Comes for Norwegians
  • February 09, 2025

Russia Comes for Norwegians

The independent Norwegian news site The Barents Observer has been declared "undesirable" by the Russian government.
Russians Unaffected by War
  • January 06, 2025

Russians Unaffected by War

Verstka uncovered a survey that showed Russians are both exhausted and accustomed to the war in Ukraine.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Frogs Who Begged...
November 01, 2010

Frogs Who Begged...

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955