Ukraine aware of 28,391 foreigners from 136 countries in Russia army – Coordination HQ

Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War Brigadier General Dmytro Usov reported that Ukraine has identified more than 28,000 individuals who joined the Russia army to fight against Ukrainians.

He stated this at an event presenting the report "Foreign Fighters in the Russian Army: How to Stop the Global Recruitment Scheme" on Wednesday.

"Currently, we have the figure of 28,391. And it is growing. I want to draw attention once again, this is the figure that is directly known—as specific personal data. That is, we operate with specific surnames, first names, patronymics, and citizenship," Usov said.

He noted that 136 countries are directly represented in the ranks of the Russia armed forces.

"And we count this without the participation of the regular army of the DPRK, which is represented by the figure of 14,000," Usov emphasized.

According to him, every month the Coordination Headquarters manages to identify and add to the number of foreigners.

"We believe that plus or minus 25-30% should be added to this figure. This is what we do not see, but will still find out and also verify," the secretary said.

Separately, he emphasized that according to the Coordination Headquarters, 3,080 citizens of foreign countries signed contracts with the Ministry of Defense of Russia, but were not released after the contract ended. Usov also reported that at least 5,149 individuals are deceased foreigners (known facts).

He stressed that the dynamics of signing contracts is only growing. In plans for 2026, Russia aims to sign contracts with 18,500 citizens of other states (in 2025, contracts were signed with 13,997 foreigners).