The prisoners of war come from all corners of the world: Kenya, Nepal, Tajikistan, to name a few. Speaking different languages and coming from diverse cultures, they have one thing in common – they say they were deceived by Russia into joining a war they did not want to fight.
Nearly 200 foreigners from 37 countries have been captured fighting for Russia and are currently held as prisoners of war by Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Their accounts paint a disturbing picture of the deception, bribery and blackmail they say Moscow is using to lure foreigners into joining its military.
As Russia continues to struggle to recruit its own people to fight in Ukraine, it is increasingly turning to foreigners to bolster its military.
Brigadier General Dmitry Usov, who heads the POW headquarters, said Ukraine has identified more than 18,000 foreigners from 128 countries and territories who fought or are currently fighting for Russia in Ukraine – a number that does not include the thousands of North Korean soldiers sent to fight for Russia as part of a military cooperation agreement between the two countries. The actual number of foreigners fighting for Russia is likely much higher.
The rise in the number of foreigners found fighting in Ukraine has recently prompted several countries to issue strongly worded appeals to Russia to stop recruiting their citizens.
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