Russian-hired fighters from 33 countries held in Ukraine
More than 100 foreign mercenaries, recruited into the Russian army from 33 countries worldwide, are currently held in Ukrainian captivity, according to the I Want to Live project of Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which released a collage of photos showing some of these fighters on Aug. 1.
The images depict only a fraction of such combatants, recruited from countries including Cameroon, Morocco, Somalia, Senegal, Egypt, and others.
“Russia actively bribes, deceives, and coerces individuals not only from neighboring Central Asian countries into signing contracts,” the Coordination Headquarters stated.
“As of 2025, we have information on citizens from 121 countries fighting within the Russian occupation army.”
The photographed mercenaries are those who survived Russia’s “meat grinder” assaults. In captivity, they are held under the same conditions as Russian soldiers in prisoner-of-war camps.
“They sleep in the same facilities, receive the same food and medical care, and have access to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross,” the I Want to Live project noted.
“Countries that care about their citizens send embassy staff to meet with them.”
For Russia, these fighters are considered “third-rate” and hold no value to Moscow while in captivity.
“Their stories serve as a warning to other money-seekers: Putin’s war devours everyone indiscriminately, and being a mercenary in the Russian army means becoming expendable in a foreign criminal war,” the Coordination Headquarters said.
With the intervention of international organizations and their home countries, these fighters may eventually return to their homelands.
In April, the iStories outlet, citing data from a leak of Russia’s Unified Medical Information and Analytical System, reported that mercenaries from at least 48 countries are fighting for Russia against Ukraine’s Defense Forces. According to the outlet, over 1,500 foreigners may have been recruited into the Russian army in Moscow alone between April 2023 and May 2024.
On July 11, BBC Russian Service reported that over 500 foreigners from 28 countries, who fought for Russia’s invasion forces, had been killed in Ukraine.
The report clarified that these figures only account for individuals without Russian citizenship at the time of signing contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense, whose deaths were confirmed through open sources, suggesting the actual losses of foreign fighters in Russian ranks are significantly higher.
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