At Least 18 Americans Have Signed Contracts to Fight for Russia

The New York Post reported on September 28, 2026 that Ukrainian intelligence services have identified at least 18 Americans who have enlisted with Russia's armed forces, part of a recruitment effort Ukraine says has pulled in nearly 29,000 foreigners from 135 countries - a figure officials describe as an undercount. Recruits are typically offered a $26,000 signing bonus and $2,000 a month. Vitaliy Matvienko, who heads a Ukrainian state project on Russian surrenders, told the Post that recruiting foreigners has "become an entire industry" as Russian casualties climb, with agents earning roughly $24,000 per recruit plus a cut of their pay, working Facebook, TikTok, and Telegram ads to target "the poor, vulnerable and ideologically obsessed."

Seth Baker: Dead Three Months After Signing

Seth William Baker, 23, of Gilbert, Arizona, had served as a Marine Corps lance corporal and bulk fuel specialist before being discharged after refusing the military's Covid-19 vaccine mandate. According to the Post, he struggled to find work afterward, including a failed attempt to join a police academy, and was drawn into Russian propaganda online. In a video recorded inside a Russian bunker, Baker said the vaccine mandate was a tipping point: "There's all this talk about freedom in America, but not for some of us, I suppose." He was killed on the front line roughly three months after signing his contract.

Wilmer Puello-Mota: A Fugitive From a Child Pornography Charge

Wilmer Puello-Mota, 30, a former city councilor in Holyoke, Massachusetts and a six-year US Air Force veteran, fled the United States in 2024 while facing a child pornography charge - a case that remains active and on which he has not been convicted. He signed a Russian military contract that April and appeared in a propaganda video declaring "victory will be ours" while planting a US flag in a Ukrainian city. The Post reports he suffered shrapnel wounds to his leg in an explosion last month; the severity isn't clear.

Michael Gloss: The CIA Official's Son

Michael Gloss, 21, the son of then-CIA deputy director Juliane Gallina and Navy veteran Larry Gloss, had been struggling with his mental health and went "off the grid" before resurfacing in Russia's military. He died in April 2024 from blood loss during an artillery barrage in Donetsk, which his father said happened while he was trying to help a wounded Russian soldier. Putin posthumously awarded him a medal for civilian service, which US special envoy Steve Witkoff delivered to Gloss's parents.

Derek Huffman: Signed a Second Contract

Derek Huffman, 47, moved his family to Russia to escape what he called LGBTQ "indoctrination" in the US, enlisting to earn what he described as "respect" and secure Russian citizenship for his wife and three daughters. He was sent to the front line rather than the work he expected, and his wife said in a now-deleted video that "he feels like he's being thrown to the wolves." Huffman returned home unscathed after a year - then signed another contract, telling supporters "victory is close" for Russia. A 2022 Russian decree automatically extends military contracts until the end of the war regardless of their original term.

Get Out Safely

Americans and other foreign nationals who have already signed contracts with Russia's armed forces have a safe option to leave through Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. Also see our FAQ on how to safely surrender to Ukrainian forces.