In December, Russia recruits mercenaries from 25 countries for war against Ukraine — intelligence

This was stated by Oleh Ivashchenko, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports, citing the intelligence service’s press office.

According to the report, the primary sources of recruitment are countries of the post-Soviet space and the Global South, including Belarus, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Kenya, and China.

The primary motivations for foreign recruits are financial compensation, simplified access to citizenship, and amnesty for individuals with prior convictions.

“Moscow deliberately exploits economic instability in poorer countries and limited legal migration pathways, turning these factors into instruments of control and pressure. The presence of citizens from China, Cuba, or African countries is actively used in propaganda narratives as supposed evidence of support from the ‘non-Western world, ’” Ivashchenko emphasized.

According to the head of Ukrainian intelligence, the recruitment of foreigners carries a precise political dimension: Moscow seeks to portray the war as a conflict extending far beyond a bilateral confrontation.

As previously reported, in a comment to Ukrinform, Oleh Aleksandrov, an officer of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, stated that Russia is recruiting former Afghan military personnel, including special forces and intelligence fighters, to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Photo: Center for Countering Disinformation