The Kremlin has launched a mechanism for covert recruitment of foreigners due to restrictions on their stay in the country: without a Russian passport, foreigners cannot stay in the country, and with a passport they become potential soldiers.
Russia uses indirect pressure and manipulation to force foreigners to sign contracts with the army, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine reports, informs the portal PromPolitInform.
The intelligence notes that due to the official ban of many countries on the participation of their citizens in the war on the side of the Russian Federation, Moscow switched to roundabout tactics.
“Since most countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America oppose the recruitment of their citizens, Moscow has chosen the way to create conditions in which staying in a country without a passport of the Russian Federation becomes almost impossible,” the statement said.
The only “way out,” according to the SVR, is actually offered a contract with the Russian army, which opens the way to citizenship.
The ministry emphasizes that we are talking about a system of “soft” coercion, which formally avoids accusations of mercenary, but in fact turns foreigners into a resource for war.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, in 2024, more than 157,000 foreigners were expelled from the country for violating migration laws – this is 45% more than a year earlier. In 2025, this figure was about 72 thousand.
At the same time, the Russian authorities are preparing amendments to the legislation that expand the grounds for pressure on foreigners – in particular, through accusations of extremism, violation of information security, religious legislation or “abuse of freedom of speech.”
“The real purpose of the mechanism is different: to force migrants to sign a contract on their own. Formally – no coercion. A person simply “chooses” citizenship through service in the army of the aggressor,” the intelligence emphasizes.
Earlier, the authorities of the Republic of South Africa announced the return of their citizens, who, according to the families, were tricked into signing contracts with the Russian army. The country emphasizes that participation in foreign military formations is a criminal offense.
Meanwhile, in the occupied Ukrainian territories, Russia attracted all combat-ready men to the war, there was practically no mobilization resource left.
Photo – AI generated
