Russia ‘trafficking’ foreigners to Ukraine’s front line, Amnesty says

Amnesty International has released a report claiming that Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in its war against Ukraine constitutes "human trafficking." The organization asserts that Moscow has employed deceptive, coercive, and exploitative tactics to enlist citizens from low-income countries like Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. According to Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's Secretary-General, the tactics involve misleading promises of civilian or non-combat roles.

The report is based on testimonies and interviews with foreign citizens detained in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps. One Sri Lankan national, Dinesh, claims he was approached about joining the army after his Russian work visa had expired. After completing two weeks of training, he was sent to the front line and later captured by the Ukrainian army.

Other individuals have alleged being lured into joining the army from abroad under false pretenses, such as a Brazilian man named Pedro, who believed he was signing a contract for a well-paid IT job in Russia, but was instead taken to a military training center and sent to the front line.

Russia's tactics for recruiting foreign nationals have been the subject of numerous reports and have led to diplomatic disputes with countries like Kenya and Ghana, which have demanded that Russia cease recruiting their citizens to fight in the war. Ukrainian authorities estimate that at least 27,000 foreign nationals from 135 countries have been recruited by Russia since 2022, primarily coming from countries such as Tajikistan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, which have historically seen a large flow of migrants to Russia. A Kremlin spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.