Ukrainian General Usov: 45,959 Foreigners From 151 Countries Signed Contracts With the Russian Army

Ukraine has identified 45,959 foreign nationals from 151 countries and unrecognised territories who signed contracts with the Russian armed forces as of October 1, 2026, according to Brigadier General Dmytro Usov, secretary of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Usov presented the updated figures at the international conference "Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South,". In the first nine months of 2026, Russia recruited more foreigners than in the whole of 2025.

See the list of the countries & unrecognised terrotories where the Recruits came from here.

Recruitment Keeps Growing

The numbers of foreigners recruited in Russia's army by year, as presented: 

• 94 contracts in 2022, 
• 4,067 in 2023
• 8,877 in 2024
• 16,085 in 2025
• 16,168 in the first nine months of 2026.

Russia's 2026 plan is 18,500 people. They are now recruiting about 1,800 foreigners a month; at that pace, the plan would be exceeded in November, and new contracts could reach 21,500 by the end of the year.

Where the Recruits Come From

The largest numbers of foreigners have been recruited in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Belarus, Usov said, while recruitment is growing fastest in Africa and Latin America. In the first nine months of 2026 alone, 1,449 Colombians, 699 Burundians, 530 Zimbabweans, and 503 Peruvians signed contracts.

What Prisoners Told the Project

Hundreds of citizens of 59 countries have been captured by Ukraine since 2022. The "I Want to Live" project ran a short survey among them with these results:

• 46.7% signed their contract to get Russian citizenship.
• Only 28% did not know they would be fighting against Ukraine.
• 41.4% were recruited through military enlistment offices and selection points, which the project says shows direct involvement of Russian state bodies in recruiting foreigners.
• 48.8% were captured because they were wounded.
• 79% want to be returned to Russia in an exchange.

According to "I Want to Live", Russia lures foreigners with promises of citizenship and money, then sends them to assaults, and that those who survive are left in captivity because the Kremlin concluded it is cheaper to buy another foreign fighter than to bring one back in an exchange.

A Safe Way Out

Foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ for more recommendations.