Russia Recruits About 1,800 Foreigners a Month, Ukraine Says

As of 1 October, the identities of 45,959 foreigners who signed contracts with Russia's armed forces have been established, according to the "I Want to Live" project. They are citizens of 151 countries and representatives of unrecognized territories, Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, secretary of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said in a statement from the headquarters on Tuesday, 20 October.

Recruitment is accelerating

The updated figures show how Russian recruitment has grown: 94 people in 2022, 4,067 in 2023, 8,877 in 2024 and 16,085 in 2025. In the first nine months of 2026 the number reached 16,168, more than in all of 2025, the headquarters noted.

According to intelligence, Russia's 2026 plan is 18,500 people. Russia is now recruiting about 1,800 foreigners a month. If the pace holds, the plan will be exceeded as early as November, and by year-end the number of new contract soldiers could reach 21,500.

Most recruits come from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Belarus, while recruitment is growing fastest in Africa and Latin America. In nine months of 2026, contracts were signed by 1,449 citizens of Colombia, 699 of Burundi, 530 of Zimbabwe and 503 of Peru.

What captured foreigners say

Since 2022, citizens of 59 countries have been taken prisoner by Ukraine. A survey of foreign POWs by the project found that 46.7% signed a contract to obtain Russian citizenship, and only 28% did not know they would fight against Ukraine. Another 41.4% were recruited through military enlistment offices and selection points, which the headquarters says points to direct involvement of Russian state structures. Some 48.8% were captured after being wounded, and 79% want to return to Russia in a prisoner exchange.

The headquarters warns that Russia lures foreigners with promises of citizenship and money, then sends them into assaults, and leaves survivors largely to their fate in captivity. See also our world coverage.