Russia is reportedly coercing thousands of migrants and foreign students, particularly from Africa, to fight in its war against Ukraine in exchange for visa renewals, according to a Bloomberg report.
European officials have assessed that the Kremlin is using tactics similar to those initially employed by the Wagner mercenary group to bolster its military manpower.
The report indicates that Russia has been pressuring African students and young workers to join the military by threatening to deny visa extensions.
In some cases, Moscow has enlisted convicts and detained Africans on work visas, forcing them to choose between deportation or joining the fight.
Some individuals have reportedly managed to bribe officials to avoid military service and remain in the country.
This practice of coercing migrants and students into military service began earlier in the conflict, resulting in high casualty rates for these individuals, who are often sent on perilous missions to protect more highly trained units.
Despite the significant risk and high casualties, these tactics have been used to supplement Russian forces amid ongoing heavy losses.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has not responded to requests for comment on these allegations.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian intelligence suggests that Russia has been conducting a global recruitment drive to enlist foreign mercenaries from at least 21 countries, including several African nations.
These recruitment efforts offer attractive signing bonuses and salaries to contract soldiers and have targeted migrants and students seeking employment in Russia.
This approach could significantly impact the war, as President Vladimir Putin aims to leverage the increased troop numbers to gain momentum.
Despite this, Russian forces have made only slow advances in northeastern Ukraine and have suffered heavy losses.
The UK Ministry of Defence estimates that Russia lost more than 1,200 personnel per day in May, marking the highest casualty rate of the conflict.
Since the invasion’s onset, approximately 500,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded, according to UK estimates, though these figures have not been independently verified by Bloomberg.
Reuters previously reported that the Wagner mercenary group had recruited several African citizens from Russian prisons.
Currently, there are around 35,000 to 37,000 African students in Russia, as noted by Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, which promotes Russian knowledge abroad.
Primakov highlighted that annually about 6,500 African students are enrolled in Russian educational institutions under scholarships.
“Every year, we sign up about 6,500 students from Africa to study in Russia for free,” he said on Thursday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.