Russia Recruited 16,168 Foreigners in First Nine Months of 2026, Surpassing 2025 Total
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says at least 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and unrecognized territories have signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces. Russia recruited 16,168 foreigners in the first nine months of 2026, already exceeding the 2025 total, while recruitment is growing fastest in Africa and Latin America.
Key points
- At least 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and unrecognized territories have signed contracts with Russia’s armed forces.
- Russia recruited 16,168 foreigners in the first nine months of 2026, surpassing the 16,085 recruited in all of 2025.
- Russia’s 2026 recruitment plan is 18,500 people; current recruitment is about 1,800 foreigners per month.
- The largest numbers have been recruited from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus.
- Recruitment is growing fastest in Africa and Latin America.
- In the first nine months of 2026, contracts were signed by 1,449 Colombians, 699 Burundians, 530 Zimbabweans and 503 Peruvians.
- Citizens of 59 countries have been taken into Ukrainian captivity since 2022.
Why it matters
Russia’s foreign recruitment has accelerated sharply: the first nine months of 2026 already exceeded the full-year 2025 total, and the current pace could push recruitment to an estimated 21,500 people by year-end. The widening recruitment base, particularly in Africa and Latin America, gives the war a growing international dimension. Survey findings also point to deceptive or coercive practices and direct involvement by Russian state recruitment structures.
What happened
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, citing the “I Want to Live” project, reported that at least 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and unrecognized territories had signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces as of October 1. Russia recruited 16,168 foreign nationals in the first nine months of 2026, compared with 16,085 for all of 2025. The announced figures were presented by Brigadier General Dmytro Usov at the international conference Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South. Russia’s stated 2026 target is 18,500 recruits, while the reported pace is about 1,800 per month. If that pace continues, the target could be exceeded in November and the total could reach 21,500 by the end of the year.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian officials frame the figures as evidence of a Russian state-orchestrated effort to staff its armed forces with foreign nationals. The announcement emphasized deception and exploitation: a survey of foreign prisoners found that 46.7% had signed contracts to obtain Russian citizenship, while only 28% of those surveyed said they knew they would fight Ukraine. More than four in ten respondents said they were recruited through Russian military commissariats and selection points, while 79% wanted to return to Russia through prisoner exchanges.
Background
Russia’s foreign recruitment rose from 94 people in 2022 to 4,067 in 2023, 8,877 in 2024 and 16,085 in 2025. The largest absolute numbers have come from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus, but recruitment is now expanding most rapidly in Africa and Latin America.