From fake job ads to threats of visa revocation, Russia uses an intricate system that recruits and exploits vulnerable people to fight against Ukraine.
Since 2022, the Kremlin has built a sophisticated network that lures, coerces, and traffics migrants, students, and civilians from over 40 countries into serving its war machine — sending them into deadly combat with little training, no pay, and often no way out.
In April 2025, Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia — part of over 155 identified on the front lines, according to President Zelenskyy. Lured by social media job ads, the captured servicemen had their phones and bank cards confiscated upon arrival, with no escape and no salary in sight.
One of the Chinese soldiers captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Photo: Security Service of Ukraine.
This script is not rare: according to UK intelligence, Russia has recruited over 1,500 fighters since April 2023 — based only on confirmed identities. Many are misled, trained using hand signals, and used as expendable cover for Russian troops. Among foreign recruits, over 300 are confirmed dead, although the real number is likely much higher.
Moscow’s migrant trap
Moscow actively targets migrants, exploiting their vulnerability or illegal status. Russia’s migration centres offer army contracts in exchange for fast-track passports to migrants. Human rights activists also report Russian police detaining migrants and threatening them with deportation unless they enlist.
The same system targets foreign students — particularly the over 35,000 African students in Russia, one of the largest foreign student groups in the country. Many international students face visa threats unless they agree to join the army. Once recruited, their academic status is often revoked, stripping them of legal protections and trapping them in the Russian military with no way out.
Russia’s global employment scam
This recruitment model extends far beyond Russia’s borders. For example, the “Alabuga Start” network targets young women in Africa through online job ads, luring them with promises of stable employment, social benefits, and above-average wages. In reality, they are sent to work at the Alabuga plant — Russia’s key domestic producer of Shahed drones used to strike Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure.
The Alabuga Special Economic Zone. Photo: Collection Maykova/Shutterstock.
Once there, workers often face unregulated hours, restricted movement, and labor conditions that violate Russian law — including the employment of minors, forced overtime, and exposure to toxic materials.
Numerous reports of labor exploitation at the plant prompted Botswana’s Interpol to launch an investigation into the program, on suspicion of involvement in human trafficking.
From Promises to Battlefields
Russia’s use of job ads to fuel its war machine — recruiting both workers and soldiers — goes even further. In South Asia, recruitment reached a crisis point, reaching the highest level. In July 2024, India’s Prime Minister Modi personally confronted Putin, forcing the Kremlin to suspend the recruitment of Indians and release over 45 of those lured into its army.
Likewise, Sri Lanka sent a high-profile delegation to Russia to investigate the fate of its 17 killed recruits and release the rest. In Nepal, where over 15,000 citizens ended up in the Russian army, the government banned all work travel to Russia.
Photo: Subaas Shrestha for NurPhoto.
Beyond fake job offers, Russia openly recruits in active war zones, offering well-paid jobs and fast-track citizenship which ties them to military draft. In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthis recruit men via trafficking networks close to the Houthi leadership.
Once deployed, foreign recruits are thrown into Russia’s deadliest assaults with little training, no interpreters, and almost no medical care, adding to the high death rate. Many are denied promised pay, and listed as “missing” when killed — erasing them without accountability or compensation.
