Nearly 46,000 foreigners from 151 countries signed contracts with Russian military, Ukraine says
At least 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and representatives of unrecognized territories have been identified as having signed contracts with Russia's armed forces, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The figures, compiled by Ukraine's I Want to Live project and released on October 20, cover the period through October 1, 2026. They represent identified individuals who signed military contracts, not the number currently serving in Russian forces.
Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, secretary of the Coordination Headquarters, presented the data at the international Crimea Global conference.
According to the headquarters, Russia recruited 16,168 foreign nationals during the first nine months of 2026, slightly exceeding the 16,085 recorded for all of 2025.
The largest numbers of foreign recruits came from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus, while recruitment has been growing particularly rapidly in Africa and Latin America.
During the first nine months of 2026, Russian military contracts were signed by 1,449 Colombian nationals, 699 citizens of Burundi, 530 Zimbabweans and 503 Peruvians, the headquarters said.
Ukraine estimates that Russia is currently recruiting approximately 1,800 foreigners per month and could reach 21,500 new foreign recruits by the end of the year.
The headquarters also reported that nationals of 59 countries have been captured by Ukrainian forces since 2022.
A survey of foreign prisoners of war conducted by the I Want to Live project found that 46.7% said they had enlisted to obtain Russian citizenship, while 28% said they had not known they would be fighting against Ukraine.
The headquarters did not provide the survey's sample size or methodology in its announcement.
The figures could not be independently verified.
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