Nepal has just arrested people recruiting Nepalese to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Cuba has done the same. But, driven by desperate economic circumstances in their home countries, some heed the call, though many later claim to have been tricked into doing so.
The reality is that although many Russians continue to profess support for the Kremlin's war, far fewer are willing to volunteer or even to serve if drafted. Russia has long been reliant on ethnic minorities within its borders to fill its military, but the increasing emphasis on foreign recruiting suggests that even the rural poor are no longer enticed, given the death ratios. JL
Elizabeth Grasmeder reports in War On the Rocks:
Cubans. Nepalese. Colombians. Serbians. Libyans. Even as polls show 70% of Russians support the government’s “special operations” in Ukraine, enlistment has continued to lag far behind the numbers Moscow needs to sustain the war. Moscow’s search for foreign recruits provides useful clues about the health of Putin’s regime, his confidence, and his views on Russia’s war effort, all suggesting (its) fortunes are looking more desperate. The 6 million migrant workers in Russia are now being rounded up and pressed into service. With Putin’s narrowing confidence in mobilizing citizens, foreign recruitment indicates he does not expect conditions to improve any time soon