There has been a sharp increase in the number of foreign fighters among the prisoners captured by Ukraine on the battlefield. Africans and Nepalis are especially common. Russian officials are increasingly threatening not to extend visas to African students and young workers unless they agree to join the army. This is reported by Bloomberg, reports UNN.
According to officials, Russian officials are increasingly threatening not to extend visas to African students and young workers unless they agree to join the army.
One European official said that Moscow is also recruiting prisoners from its prisons, while some Africans who are in Russia on work visas have been detained and forced to choose between deportation or military action.
"Some of these people managed to bribe officials to stay in the country and at the same time avoid military service," the official said on condition of anonymity.
According to another European official, the Russian practice of sending migrants and students into battle under duress originated at the beginning of the war. These troops are suffering particularly high casualties as they are increasingly being used in risky offensive maneuvers to protect more well-trained units.
Bloomberg reports that a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry did not respond to an email requesting comment on the situation.
Earlier this year, the Kathmandu government said it was aware of about 400 young Nepalese men who had been recruited by Russia, but many others had probably signed up without the government's knowledge. India's decision to stop recruiting Nepali Gurkhas into its army, ending a 200-year tradition, may have prompted Nepalis to look for work in Russia and other countries.
A senior Ukrainian official said that among the prisoners captured by Ukraine on the battlefield, there is an increase in the number of foreign fighters. According to them, Africans and Nepalis are especially common.
According to the head of Rossotrudnichestvo, Yevgeny Primakov, an organization dedicated to spreading knowledge about Russia abroad, 35,000-37,000 African students are currently studying in Russia.
"Every year we enroll about 6,500 students from Africa for free education in Russia," he said.
Из российской армии массово дезертируют непальские наемники - ГУР01.05.2024, 13:17