Amnesty International accuses Russia of exploiting foreign citizens and recruiting them through deception for the war in Ukraine

Russia exploits and deceives foreign nationals to persuade them to enlist in its armed forces and fight in Ukraine, and in numerous cases these practices constitute human trafficking, Amnesty International says in a report published on September 10.

The organization says vulnerable migrants and people from low-income countries in the Global South are targeted in particular. Recruiters provide them with false information about the nature of the jobs, promise high salaries and the acquisition of Russian citizenship, or use threats related to visa expiry, detention or deportation.

After signing documents they often do not understand, foreign nationals allegedly have their passports confiscated and their freedom of movement restricted. Amnesty says some are sent to the front after only two weeks of training, without adequate military preparation, while those who try to leave are threatened with imprisonment or death.

Two citizens of Sri Lanka said they were recruited for purported jobs as cooks, but ended up fighting at the front and were captured by Ukrainian forces. An IT specialist from Brazil said he was lured to Russia by a job offer in the technology sector.

Amnesty is calling on Moscow to immediately end these practices, which it says in many situations fall under the definition of human trafficking set out in the UN Palermo Protocol. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russia is recruiting citizens from at least 135 countries. The number of foreigners identified in the Russian army reached 27,407 as of March 30, up from more than 18,000 in November.