The European Union (EU) has denounced this Thursday that Russia has incorporated "more than 28,000 foreign citizens from 135 countries" to fight in the war in Ukraine "as assault troops," noting that many of them have been "coerced or deceived," according to information that has been known in numerous states about the recruitment of fighters, sometimes through false promises.
The European External Action Service has indicated on its social media that "Russia has suffered more than 1.4 million casualties since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine. To compensate for these losses, Russia has recruited more than 28,000 foreign citizens from 135 countries."
This body, led by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, has also emphasized that "many" of those foreign fighters "have been coerced or deceived to serve as assault troops" in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
European diplomacy has added that "foreign recruits may buy time, but not victory," in a message that links to another publication from the EU Delegation in South Africa, issued the day before on this same issue.
In that communication, the EU Embassy in Pretoria shares information from the South African newspaper 'Daily Maverick' about the recruitment of Africans for the Russian front in Ukraine and warns that "it has been confirmed that more than 3,500 foreigners have died fighting for Russia against Ukraine."
"Many of them were young Africans dragged into the battlefield," adds the publication from the Delegation, which insists that "Russia must end its war of aggression."
During the last year, numerous episodes of recruitment of foreigners to fight in Ukraine on the Russian side have come to light —including cases of coercion, deception, and scams— from citizens of African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, or Zimbabwe, as well as from Latin American nationals, including Colombians or, more recently, Bolivians.
At the same time, episodes of recruitment, sometimes under deception, in favor of Ukrainian forces have also been documented. The daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, resigned from her seat in November 2025 after being accused of recruiting and transporting 17 South African men to join mercenary groups in the war in Ukraine.