From Classrooms to Trenches - How Russia Lures Foreign Students Into War Against Ukraine

A new investigation by Vot Tak reveals the human stories behind a number: 27,945 - the number of foreign nationals the "I Want to Live" project has documented as recruited into the Russian armed forces.

Two of those stories stand out. Sahil Majoti, a 23-year-old engineering student from Gujarat, India, came to St. Petersburg's ITMO University in January 2024. A part-time job search on Telegram ended with him unknowingly working as a drug courier, a criminal conviction, seven years in a Russian prison - and then, under torture and coercion, a signature on a Russian military contract. Sixteen days of training. Deployed to Ukraine on September 30, 2025. He surrendered to Ukrainian forces on day three. He is now a prisoner of war, asking to go home to his mother, who is fighting cancer alone.

Ali Salman, 32, from Iraq, found what looked like a study and translation opportunity in a Telegram channel in the summer of 2025. A Syrian-Russian middleman named Bahjat met him at Moscow airport. One week later, Ali was in a storm assault unit near Kupyansk. His family last heard from him in late November 2025. Since then - silence.

These are not isolated cases. According to the "I Want to Live" project, in 2025 alone, 255 Iraqi nationals signed contracts with the Russian army - up from just five in 2023. The pipeline runs through TikTok ads, Telegram channels, fake job offers, and student visas that transform into military contracts the moment a recruit lands on Russian soil. Those who hesitate are given a choice: sign, or face years in prison.

The full investigation - including the identity of the recruiter operating a 7,500-subscriber Telegram channel welcoming Latin American and Arab recruits into the Russian army, and the legal battles being fought in Indian and Iraqi courts - is available at Vot Tak.

Sources: Vot Tak News Portal, I Want to Live Telegram Channel