European Parliament calls for sanctions against those involved in Russia's recruitment of foreigners for war in Ukraine – resolution

Russia must stop the forced recruitment of foreign citizens for its brutal war against Ukraine, which may constitute a crime against humanity, according to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday.

The European Parliament’s website reports that the resolution addresses the use of deceptive recruitment methods, in particular through social media content to offer employment or education, particularly in various African countries, Cuba, and South and Central Asia.

MEPs add that the growing use of deceptive recruitment methods coincides with Russia’s growing influence in African countries.

They stress that these practices may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity and call on social media platforms to take responsibility and cooperate with the authorities to identify and remove content used by Russian-linked recruitment networks. They point out that hundreds of female victims are believed to have been deceived into working in drone assembly factories, and refer to the disappearance of certain nationals, such as Francis Ndung’u Ndarua.

The resolution was adopted by 479 votes for, 17 against with 43 abstentions.

On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted three resolutions on human rights. The other two concern Nigeria and Georgia. Specifically, the parliament calls for the immediate release of democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in Niger and condemns the junta’s repression. MEPs also condemn the Georgian Dream party’s systematic persecution of opponents and call on the EU to impose targeted sanctions against regime officials.