Foreign Mercenaries In The Russian Army

On November 3, 2022, the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, announced that more than 16,000 volunteer requests were received by the Russian Armed Forces from the Middle East from aspiring fighters, ready to join the hostilities.[1] Minister Shoigu stated: "[...] Of course, we consider it right to respond positively to [such] requests, especially since these requests are made not for money, but according to the personal convictions of these people."[2] Russian President Vladimir Putin, in return, asked Shoigu to assist any individual "who wishes to provide help to Donbass."[3]

Coincidentally, a few months earlier, on March 2, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that 16,000 foreign volunteers had arrived in Ukraine to defend the country.[4]

It seems that the Russian Defense Minister meant primarily volunteers from Syria (Shoigu hinted at those involved in the military campaign against ISIS), where Russian instructors helped to create the Syrian 5th Assault Corps. Additionally, several African Republics are possible sources of recruits, including Congo, Central African Republic, and Cameroon — possibly recruiting through Russian-funded Wagner PMC there.

Recruitment methods have not been revealed. However, at that time, the spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, vaguely suggested that the Russian Ministry of Defense possesses a "certain network of units that are in direct contact with the local population in Syria and a number of other countries." He drew attention to similar actions by Ukraine: "If the Western world welcomes the arrival of a motley crew of mercenaries from different countries of the world [to Ukraine], then [they should know] that on this side there are also volunteers who want to take part in this."[5]

The Kremlin's statement prompted a media stir, and some negative reactions in the West.[6] 

This image is from a video report by "Izvestia," showing a pro-Putin demonstration in Syria on March 3, 2022 —several days after the Russian authorities' statements.[7] The video depicts a rally of armed men, waving flags of Russia and portraits of Russian and Syrian presidents. One of the participants, according to Izvestia, stated, "We, Syrian fighters, declare our loyalty to our friends from Russia in the fight against international terrorism. We are grateful to Russia and are ready to go to Ukraine to help our Russian friends in the fight against world fascism. We reaffirm our support for [Russian] President Vladimir Putin." Many media outlets (including Russian state TV channels) reported on the volunteeers willing to join the war in Ukraine on the Russian side.

However, despite positive media coverage, it seems that Russian authorities might have overstated not only the number of willing conscripts, but also the Ministry of Defense's ability to recruit them. It seems that the number of actual conscripts was much lower at first; there were no reports on the operations of some "Syrian divisions."[8] Official reports claim about 200–300 Syrian mercenaries. As of March 2023, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was still deciding on the conditions of possible participation of Syrian nationals in the war against Ukraine.[9] Though he could have been purposefully vague, it seems the number of Syrian conscripts was indeed small.[10]

Relatively recently, perhaps upon witnessing the lackluster results of its "partial mobilization," Moscow started to address many logistical and legal obstacles to such venture, as well as problems with public perception. It seems that the authorities focused their recruiting efforts on the countries of Central Asia, or former allies of the former Soviet Union, such as Cuba or Serbia. A familiarity with the Russian language that natives of these countries might possess could prove to be an advantage for the Russian military.

In September 2023, six months after the Defense Minister's proposal, Vladimir Putin executed his decree for increased recruiting numbers,[11] and introduced a simplified procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship for foreign citizens who signed a contract for military service (as well as for their family members). Later, in November 2022, another presidential decree[12] allowed general enlistment into the Russian Armed Forces for people who are either citizens or residents of another country. These procedures are probably aimed at migrants from Central Asian republics to Russia, such as Kyrgiz and Tajic nationals with Russian citizenship. These foreigners could also serve in Russian private military companies, or with volunteer units. However, some might face legal issues. After the Wagner Group's attmpted coup in June 2023, it seems that all members of such units must sign an individual contract with the defense ministry.    

The post above, published in December 2022 on the Telegram channel of "Wagner Orchestra Wagner," which is affiliated with Wagner PMC, tells the story of a Uzbekistan citizen, 53-year-old Alexander Babkov, who served for ten months in Wagner PMC but cannot obtain Russian citizenship, even under the recent simplified procedures.[13]

The screenshot of the post from the military "Polite People SVO" Telegram channel depicts a group of Serbian volunteers fighting in the war with Ukraine for Russia. These volunteers received Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure.[14]

On May 24, 2023, the Ryzan city office of "Vedomosti," a newspaper, published[15]an article reporting on the operations of the military recruitment office located in the city. The article notes that several Cuban citizens had signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces: "Contracts are signed not only by Russian citizens, but also by foreigners. Today, several citizens of the Republic of Cuba will start their contract military service in the Russian Army. According to the Cubans themselves, they want to help our country carry out tasks in the zone of the special military operation, and some of them would like to become Russian citizens in the future."

Reportedly, between three to eleven Cuban nationals signed the military contract that day. The Cuban authorities also reportedly detained 17 Cubans who were engaged in recruiting for the RAF. Later, a Ukrainian group of hackers called "Cyber Resistance" reported that they had obtained the names of 199 Cuban mercenaries.[16]

The issue of foreign mercenaries continues to be in the spotlight, with both Ukraine and Russia actively exploiting the topic in the media. For instance, the pro-state "Rybar" Telegram channel claimed in January 2023 that Lebanese Hezbollah proposed sending its troops to the war with Ukraine to support the Russian Armed Forces.[17] According to the channel, the proposal was denied. In the same post, the channel reported that Abu Azrael, field commander of the "Imam Ali" brigade, openly supported "Russia, the Russian Armed Forces, and Vladimir Putin in the fight against the West and the United States."

This screenshot is from the video address by Abu Azrael, filmed with the help of the Iraqi "Sabereen News" channel. The channel claims that the commander is "one of the representatives of the so-called "Islamic resistance."

It is difficult to assess, with precision, the true number or percentage of foreign mercenaries in the RAF, but it seems their impact on the hostilities has been negligible, for many reasons. These would include language difficulties, salaries paid in rubles, given restrictions on foreign currency transactions, as well as relatively low numbers. As Russia continues to intensify its recruitment efforts, the quality of such troops may grow with the attractivness of contract military service.