Russia plans to recruit about 20,000 foreigners into army in 2026 – Defense Intelligence

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Defense Intelligence project "I Want to Live," Russia is stepping up efforts to recruit foreigners, including migrants, into the occupation army. Control checks have been carried out in all federal districts of the aggressor state to determine the number of foreign men aged 18 to 60, according to a post on the Telegram channel.

"The checks were carried out by the Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces together with the service for citizenship and registration of foreign citizens of the Russian Interior Ministry. Military enlistment offices have been given specific mobilization targets: to involve from 0.5% to 3.5% of the total number of foreigners in each region in the criminal war against Ukraine. Recruitment is being carried out through 97 contract service selection points," Defense Intelligence said.

It is noted that the largest number of such points operates in the Central Military District – 30. There are 21 each in Moscow and Southern districts, 14 in the Eastern district, and the fewest in the Leningrad district – 11.

"In total, for 2026, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreign citizens into the occupation army. The Russian military department’s main interest is in citizens of Central Asian states: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. At the same time, work is also being carried out outside Russia. Among the priority areas are Bangladesh, Chad, Sudan, Burundi and other poorest countries of Africa and Asia," the Defense Intelligence said.

In addition to official recruitment points, recruitment in Russian regions is being carried out by pseudo-private military structures created under the control of Russian special services, including the GRU: Redut, Convoy, Wagner-2, Potok, Russian Combat Brotherhood, Fakel, Patriot, Plamya, Sokol and Veterans.

Schemes to involve foreigners, in addition to promises of money, benefits and Russian citizenship, include pressure and coercion. Russia is using the legal vulnerability of foreign citizens on its territory, including the expiry of tourist or student visas, the inability to extend visas or legalize their stay within the established deadlines, and administrative detentions for violating Russian migration legislation.

"Under such conditions, most often deliberately created by the Russian regime, foreigners are offered a so-called ‘alternative’ in the form of participation in the war. In fact, it all comes down to a choice between long-term imprisonment — in some cases, terms of up to eight years were mentioned — and signing a contract to serve in Russia’s armed formations," the statement reads.

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence warns foreign citizens against travelling to Russia and doing any work on the territory of the aggressor state.

"A trip to Russia is a real chance to end up in a 'suicide' assault unit and, ultimately, rot in Ukrainian soil," Defense Intelligence said.