Lubinets reveals the scale of foreign participation in the war on Russia's side

Citizens of 51 countries who participated in the war on the side of the Russian army have been captured by Ukraine. These data show the scale of Moscow's involvement of foreigners in combat operations against Ukraine.

This was reported on Tuesday, August 4, by Ukraine's Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets.

The ombudsman did not specify the exact number of foreign citizens in Ukrainian captivity and did not publish a complete list of countries of which they are citizens.

At the same time, the presence of citizens of a certain state among the prisoners does not imply official participation of that country in the war. This refers to individual foreigners who served in Russian units and were captured by Ukrainian military personnel.

At the end of April, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that citizens of 48 countries were in Ukrainian captivity. Their number was in the hundreds, not tens. The largest number of foreign prisoners then consisted of citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Nepal, and Kyrgyzstan.

Thus, over several months, the geography of foreign nationals captured during fighting on Russia's side has expanded by at least three more countries.

According to data presented by the Coordination Headquarters in April, Ukraine has identified more than 28,000 foreigners who have joined the Russian army to take part in the war. Representatives from 136 countries were identified within the Russian forces, and the confirmed number of foreign fatalities exceeded 5,100.

Ukrainian authorities state that Russia uses various methods to attract foreigners. Some deliberately sign contracts with the Russian army, while others may be recruited through deception or coercion, with promises of work, Russian citizenship, or high payments.

In July, representatives of foreign diplomatic missions visited a prisoner-of-war detention site in Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the diplomats were shown the detention conditions of citizens of other states whom Russia had drawn into the war through deception or coercion.

Ukraine urges the governments of other countries to identify and block Russian recruitment schemes. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that participation of foreign nationals in the Russian invasion forces entails legal consequences for them.

The circumstances under which each foreigner joined the Russian army may differ. Their citizenship, role in hostilities, and possible involvement in crimes are determined individually by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies.