How Russia is luring foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine
More and more, Russia is recruiting men from the world’s poorest countries to send them to the front in the Ukraine war. Why are people
More and more, Russia is recruiting men from the world’s poorest countries to send them to the front in the Ukraine war. Why are people joining up? Charles Mutoka, a 72-year-old Kenyanis in mourning for his son, Oscar Khagola Mutoka, a former soldier who traveled to Russia in the summer of 2025 to look for work. His father said that he had tried in vain to talk him out of it. Oscar did not tell him and the rest of his family exactly where he was going but a week after leaving he sent a picture of himself in uniform and never got back in touch again. His family found out that he had died some time later but, despite appeals to the Kenyan authorities, they were not able to recover the body. In May 2026, the family held a symbolic memorial service and set up a makeshift burial site for Oscar, in order to at least have a place where they could pray. "The worst part is that I don't know if and where he was actually buried, or if his body was simply dumped in a forest in Russia," Charles Mutoka said. Charles Mutoka, father of Oscar Khagola Mutoka, a former Kenyan soldier who died fighting in the Ukraine war Image: DW Oscar Mutoka is one of an estimated 27,000 or more foreign nationals recruited by Russia for its war in Ukraine,according to the Defense Intelligence ofUkraine (HUR). A joint study conducted by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), the Truth Houndshuman rights organization and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) provides evidence that Russia has set up a global network for recruiting foreign nationals. "This recruitment targets people in economically, socially and legally precarious life situations. The methods employed range from enticing offers to deception and even coercion," Ilya Nusov, one of the authors of the study, told DW. 'I don't want to starve to death in Cuba' For many people living in the world's poorest regions, the wages offered by the Russian army is a huge incentive as it means a chance to escape poverty and support their families.
That's exactly why Yoan Viondi Mendoza, a Cuban national, decided to work in Russia. He was promised $2,000 (€1,750) per month, an enormous sum by Cuban standards, where the average wage is $20 (€17,50). DW found out about Yoan Mendoza's story from his brother Michael Duro, who lives in the US. Yoan had wanted to emigrate to the US and be reunited with his brother, but this turned out to be impossible, because of financial and bureaucratic hurdles. Then he came across a job offer in Russia, his brother said. "Yoan called and said he'd found a way out. He told me about a 'project' in Russia," said Duro, who told DW that he had tried in vain to change his brother's mind. In September 2023, the Reuters news agency filmed young Cubans who wanted to go to Russia, including Yoan Mendoza who was 23 at the time. He told journalists that he knew exactly where he was going and that he did not want to starve to death in Cuba. He also showed a document that was purportedly a contract with the Russian army, which would also give him Russian citizenship. Yoan Viondi Mendoza, a Cuban soldier who went to fight for Russia in Ukraine Image: Privat Duro said that his brother was sent to the front in Ukraine and then tried to escape. "He pleaded, 'I made a mistake. Forgive me. Please get me out of here quickly,'" Diro said, adding that afterwards there was no contact. Yoan's name later surfaced on the lists of foreign nationals killed in action that were published by Ukraine. 'They used us as human shields' Though Mendoza and Oscar Mutoka probably knew that they were going to Russia to fight in the Ukraine war, many other foreign nationals are being deceived to the front after being promised jobs in construction, security, logistics or agriculture. That's what happened to Arman Mondol from Bangladesh. He wanted to work abroad to lift his family out of poverty.
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