The bloody business of the century: Russia is turning the world into a recruitment camp – why thousands of mercenaries are fighting against Ukraine

In recent years, Russia has significantly stepped up its efforts to fill its ranks with foreign mercenaries, whose numbers have exceeded 15,000 according to the latest data.

According to an extensive analysis by the I Want to Live project, which tracks prisoners and foreign fighters in Russian service, recruits come from almost every continent – from Africa and the Middle East to Latin America and Asia – with the sole exception of Antarctica.

The research shows that in the first half of 2025, Moscow recruited more people in Africa alone than in all of 2023 and 2024 combined. This is evidence of an increasingly aggressive recruitment campaign that Russia is conducting around the world to replace losses and fill its ranks in the war against Ukraine.

Egypt tops the list of foreign recruits

According to an analysis of thousands of available lists of mercenaries and individual cases, the largest number of foreigners who have joined the Russian army come from Egypt. Of the 1,200 records reviewed, 291 (about 25 percent) refer to Egyptian citizens.

Experts point out that this is not surprising, given the long-standing ties between Moscow and Cairo, which date back to the Soviet era and have recently been strengthened by economic and energy projects, such as Russia’s construction of a nuclear power plant in El Dabaa.

Cameroon and Ghana are in second and third place, with 199 and 180 registered cases, respectively. Although these West African countries do not have deep political or military ties with Moscow, Russian recruitment campaigns in them have been extremely aggressive, with promises of bonuses amounting to ten years of an average worker’s salary.

In addition to African countries, the report also mentions the presence of mercenaries from Yemen, of whom at least 49 have been identified so far. Most are said to have been recruited under the guise of civilian employment contracts and then sent to combat units.

The disproportion between Iraq and Iran is also interesting: 85 Iraqis have been identified in the Russian ranks, while only six Iranians have been recorded. Despite the strategic alliance between Moscow and Tehran, the Iranian authorities appear to be much stricter in controlling recruitment activities on their territory.

Despite the long-standing presence of the Wagner Group and now the new African Corps in the Central African Republic and Mali, the number of mercenaries from these countries is surprisingly small. In Mali, 38 people were registered as members of the Russian military – almost the same number as in Algeria.

Particularly noteworthy is the case of Gambia, a small country with a population of 2.7 million, where 42 cases have been confirmed – proportionally placing it among the countries with the highest recruitment rates per capita in the world.

The fate of mercenaries: false promises and death on the front lines

According to data from the I Want to Live project, which tracks captured and missing fighters, many foreign mercenaries have ended up missing in action (MIA) – often after being sent to the front lines of combat, contrary to promises of “non-combat positions.”

One such case is that of Egyptian Al-Hudi Amr Ashraf Abdelbari, born in 1989, who signed a contract with the Russian army and served in the 2nd Motorized Brigade. He disappeared during the fighting at Verkhnokamyanki on July 11, 2024, after an attack by a Ukrainian drone.

Another example is Salama Abdu Attiya Abdu Hamad, also from Egypt, who was killed or went missing near Belohorivka in February of the same year.

What all these cases have in common is that almost all foreign fighters are assigned to infantry or assault units, most often without adequate training and protection. Analysts warn that Russian employment agencies are systematically misleading candidates by promising them safer and better-paid jobs, when in fact they are sending them to the most dangerous areas on the front line.

Recruitment is accelerating: 2025 is already exceeding the previous two years.

The analytical team that prepared the report was able to determine the exact dates of signing for 1,045 contracts, which made it possible to accurately track the trend. In 2023, 146 contracts were signed, in 2024, 248, while in the first half of 2025 alone, 651 new cases were recorded – more than in the previous two years combined.

Researchers argue that this growth reflects a serious recruitment problem in Russia, which is why the Kremlin is increasingly turning to foreigners. In addition to Africa and the Middle East, recruitment centers are increasingly focusing on illegal migrants and prisoners in Russia, offering them money, citizenship, and even romantic relationships with Russian women.

Total estimates exceed 15,000 active mercenaries, but the actual number is likely to be significantly higher, according to the authors.

Global trend and possible consequences

Experts warn that the expansion of Russia’s network of mercenaries is a symptom of deeper structural problems in the Russian military. Growing difficulties in filling ranks with domestic recruits and high casualties on the front lines are forcing Moscow to rely on global recruitment campaigns.

This development, analysts say, is reminiscent of the situation Ukraine faced last year, when labor shortages threatened the survival of the military front. For Russia, maintaining a steady flow of new fighters is crucial to sustaining combat capabilities in a war that has raged for three years with no clear end in sight.

As the war in Ukraine drags on, it is becoming increasingly clear that Moscow is looking for labor wherever it can find it — from poor African countries to Asian countries hit by economic crisis. Those who sign Russian contracts often end up in the trenches, far from the promises of good pay and security.

The trend suggests that Russia’s strategy of “global mobilization” is likely to continue into 2025, giving the war in Ukraine an increasingly international dimension, not through diplomacy, but through human trafficking for military purposes./Klix.ba/