UK intel: Foreigners make up minor share of Russian army recruitment

The British Ministry of Defense reported in its 27 April intelligence update that over 1,500 foreign nationals were recruited in Moscow between April 2023 and the end of May 2024 to participate in Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. The data comes from recent research by the independent Russian media outlet Vazhnye Istorii.

The largest group of volunteers reportedly came from South and East Asia, accounting for 771 recruits, followed by 523 recruits from former Soviet republics and 72 from Africa.

Foreign recruitment unsystematic and small-scale

According to British defense intelligence, Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals is “probably largely non-systematic.” Most foreign recruits are believed to have been motivated by financial incentives and the prospect of acquiring Russian citizenship.

Higher signing bonuses in Moscow, Russia’s capital city, and relative international accessibility likely make it the main recruitment hub.

British intelligence assessed that foreign nationals “almost certainly make up a very small proportion” of the Russian Armed Forces’ total recruitment numbers. Russia places significantly greater emphasis on recruiting from within its own borders, according to the report.

Nonetheless, recruitment of foreign nationals “will almost certainly continue in the medium term” as Russia seeks to replenish its forces without resorting to a second wave of mobilization, despite suffering heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine.

In March, the Institute for the Study of War reported, citing Ukrainian intelligence, that Russia surpassed recruitment quotas in 2024 with unsustainable incentives and prison enlistment.