Russia Recruits Thousands Globally for Ukraine War Frontlines

Numerous young individuals from North India, especially Punjab, have been deceived by fraudulent job agents and coerced into joining the Russian military, often being sent on student or visitor visas and then forced to fight near the Russia-Ukraine conflict zone with minimal training. Rajya Sabha MP Satnam Singh Sandhu has called for urgent intervention from the Ministry of External Affairs to assist these youths, highlighting the life-threatening conditions they face and emphasizing the need for families to be cautious of such scams. Beyond India, Russia is actively recruiting foreign fighters from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, and several African and Middle Eastern countries, offering attractive incentives such as salaries, citizenship, and housing to lure recruits into its military efforts in Ukraine. These recruitment efforts are facilitated by Russian intelligence services, private military companies like PMC Redut and Convoy, and diplomatic missions, often under the guise of security or job offers. The recruitment process includes accelerated military training upon arrival in Russia, with some recruits being former military personnel or special forces from their home countries. Various nations, including Ukraine, are conducting awareness campaigns to reduce the number of individuals deceived into joining Russia's war effort.