45,959 foreigners from 151 countries are or have been fighting in the Russian army.

45,959 foreigners from 151 countries are or have been fighting in the Russian army.

As of October 1, 2026, the “I Want to Live” project has identified 45,959 foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces. They are citizens of 151 countries and representatives of unrecognized territories.

Dmytro Usov, secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a brigadier general, reported this at the international conference “Crimea Global. Understanding Ukraine through the South.”

The updated data clearly demonstrate the growing scale of Russian recruitment:

▪️ 2022 – 94 contracts;

▪️ 2023 – 4,067;

▪️ 2024 – 8,877;

▪️ 2025 – 16,085;

▪️ in the first 9 months of 2026 – 16,168.

In the first 9 months of 2026, Russia recruited more foreigners than in all of 2025.

The plan for 2026 is 18,500 people. Russia is currently recruiting about 1,800 foreigners per month. If the current pace continues, the plan will be exceeded as early as November, and by the end of the year the number of new contract soldiers may reach 21,500.

The largest numbers of foreigners have been recruited in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Belarus. At the same time, recruitment is growing most rapidly in African and Latin American countries.

In the first 9 months of 2026 alone, 1,449 Colombian citizens, 699 Burundians, 530 Zimbabweans, and 503 Peruvians signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces.

🗣 What the prisoners themselves saySince 2022, hundreds of citizens from 59 countries around the world have been captured in Ukraine. We conducted a small survey among them, which showed:

▪️ 46.7% signed a contract to obtain Russian citizenship;

▪️ Only 28% did not know they would be fighting against Ukraine.

▪️ 41.4% were recruited through military enlistment offices and selection points. This indicates the direct involvement of Russian state structures in recruiting foreigners;

▪️ 48.8% were captured because of an injury;

▪️ 79% want to return to Russia through a prisoner exchange.

Russia lures foreigners with promises of citizenship and money, then sends them into assaults. Those lucky enough to survive are simply abandoned in captivity — the Kremlin has decided it is more profitable for them to buy another foreign mercenary than to bring one back from captivity through an exchange.

➡️ Save your life and surrender: t.me/kak\sdatsya\bot “I Want to Live” project on social media:😎 FB 🕊 Twitter 📹 YouTube 🥳TikTok🕊Instagram📞Viber 🏢WhatsApp (backup)