Amnesty accuses Russia of trafficking foreigners to fight in Ukraine

Report reveals foreign nationals were misled with job offers, then forced into Russia’s army upon arrival.A new report by Amnesty International has accused Russia of tricking foreigners into fighting on Ukraine’s front lines in what amounts to “human trafficking”.Victims from Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka and South Africa were duped into travelling to Russia to take up well-paid civilian or non-combat jobs, then forced to join the Russian army on arrival, according to the report released on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Our children were sold off’: The South Africans sent to fight Russia’s warlist 2 of 3Zimbabweans lured into Russia’s war as families plead for their returnlist 3 of 3Russia ‘looking for new soldiers’; Kyiv claims 83,000 dead so far in 2026end of listRussian recruiters also targeted migrants and refugees in Russia and coerced them into joining the military, the report said.“Amnesty’s research demonstrates how Russia’s Armed Forces are bolstering their ranks with economically vulnerable foreign nationals and using them as cannon fodder in the Ukraine" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="202560" data-entity-type="event">war of aggression against Ukraine,” said Agnes Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general.“The level of exploitation and coercion involved led us to conclude that in many cases this amounts to human trafficking, as defined under the [United Nations] Palermo Protocol,” Callamard added.Fraud and deceptionAmnesty International interviewed prisoners of war at two Ukrainian camps between 2024 and 2026.The rights group also spoke with foreign nationals currently serving with Russian forces and members of their families as well as lawyers, human rights activists and journalists.It found local agents and misleading online job s were used to deceive foreign nationals in their home countries.A South African man who applied online for a driving job in Poland was told to fly to Moscow to pick up a truck and drive it to Poland. His wife told Amnesty International: “Upon arrival to Moscow, everything was taken from him. He was told that he would not be going to Poland and that he is becoming a soldier.”