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Russians target Central Asian migrants for military recruitment in occupied Ukraine

Ukraine’s National Resistance Center says that Russian forces are coercing draft-age men into contracts through threats of arrest and property confiscation.
byYuri Zoria
09/02/2025
2 minute read
russians target central asian migrants military recruitment occupied ukraine tajik workers mariupol 2022 058a0000-0aff-0242-fe3a-08dad7096de6_cx20_cy3_cw55_w1023_r1_s russian authorities actively pursuing ukrainian territories sign contracts national resistance center reports 9 news
Tajik workers in occupied Mariupol in 2022. Screenshot: RFE/RL
Russians target Central Asian migrants for military recruitment in occupied Ukraine

The Russian authorities are actively pursuing Central Asian migrants in occupied Ukrainian territories to sign military contracts, the National Resistance Center reports on 9 February. Russia exploits labor migrants as a low-cost workforce for construction projects in occupied areas.

Desperate for more manpower after losing soldiers in Ukraine, Russia deceives foreign civilians, including Indians, into combat roles by promising well-paid non-combat positions. This recruitment drive extends globally, targeting economically challenged nations like Nepal and Central Asian countries, as part of Russia’s broader effort to bolster its forces.

According to the Center, which is run by the Ukrainian government, Russian forces are attempting to compensate for significant front-line losses through mobilization in occupied territories and recruitment of mercenaries and migrants.

“The occupiers constantly exert psychological pressure on draft-age men to force them to sign contracts under threats of arrests, confiscation of movable and immovable property, or deportation from their hometown to depressed regions of Russia,” the Center stated.

The National Resistance Center says Central Asian migrants working in occupied Ukrainian territories are a key target for Russian military recruitment, with efforts underway to compel them into signing contracts with the Russian military.

The Center emphasized that forced mobilization of Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories violates articles 49 and 51 of the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons in War. These regulations prohibit occupying forces from compelling civilian populations to serve in their armed forces.

“Of course, rules and laws mean nothing to Russians,” the Center noted.

The National Resistance Center urges local populations in occupied territories to avoid any contact with occupation structures, record, and document cases of forced recruitment into occupation forces, and report crimes committed by their representatives.

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