Russia Recruits Arab Fighters With Promises, Then Sends Them To Ukraine Frontlines - Beritaja

BEIRUT — The was straightforward: Sign up for 1 twelvemonth to conflict connected Russia’s broadside successful “the typical subject cognition zone” — i.e. the warfare successful Ukraine — and get citizenship, free healthcare, money and land.

It was 1 of galore promotions cropping up connected the messaging level Telegram opening successful 2024, soon aft Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed overseas nationals fighting successful the army’s ranks would person passports for themselves and their families. Since then, recreation agencies and brokers person drawn group from each complete the world to subordinate what they telephone Russia’s “elite world battalion,” dangling a raft of benefits to pull would-be recruits.

For Raed Hammad, a 54-year-old Jordanian man who worked arsenic a cab driver until a herniated disk made sitting successful a car spot each time untenable, it seemed for illustration the opportunity he ne'er recovered successful his location country. He contacted a Russian businesswoman, Polina Alexandrovna, whose number was connected the Telegram ad, and sent his passport information. In August, he received a visa and formation summons and flew to Moscow.

(Other media reports put Alexandrovna’s past sanction arsenic Azarnykh. It’s unclear if her sanction is simply a pseudonym.)

“As a 54-year-old who was sick, he had a difficult clip uncovering employment present successful Jordan. When he recovered this job, and they accepted him pinch a very charismatic net and benefits, he didn’t deliberation twice,” said Lamees Hammad, his wife, successful a tearful video reside she posted connected societal media successful September. Because of his age, Lamees Hammad added, her hubby assumed he would activity arsenic a driver aliases a cook; she insisted he many times confirmed pinch Alexandrovna that he wouldn’t service connected the beforehand line.

“He wanted to supply for our kids, to springiness them what he couldn’t springiness them successful the past,” Lamees Hammad said. Hammad is simply a begetter of 4 sons, the youngest of whom is 13.

But days aft signing a 17-page service statement that Hammad couldn’t publication — he was denied a Russian translator and wasn’t fixed entree to WiFi to construe utilizing his phone, according to his woman — he recovered himself bunkered successful a drone-stalked guardant position location successful Russian-occupied southeastern Ukraine.

“He’s facing each kinds of threat ... If a firearm is raised successful his face, he can’t moreover run. They’re being treated for illustration livestock complete there,” Lamees Hammad said successful a caller question and reply pinch a Jordanian TV channel, adding that Hammad contacted Alexandrovna and begged to break his statement but was told he would person to salary 500,000 rubles — almost $6,000 — to do so.

Russian subject personnel, draped successful Russian flags, look aft a captive switch pinch Ukraine connected June 24.

(Russian Defense Ministry/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Accurate figures are difficult to travel by, but it’s clear that Hammad isn’t unsocial successful fighting nether Russia’s banner for benefits, pinch estimates putting the number of overseas fighters successful Russian service ranks successful the tens of thousands. Many travel from disadvantaged countries successful the Middle East, Africa and South and East Asia.

Some 2,000 Iraqis are thought to person enlisted, but property reports bespeak thousands joining from Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Jordan. Fighters from Nepal, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Syria, who successful the past came successful important numbers, are nary longer allowed to join, according to the Russian defense ministry.

Foreigners person besides served connected the opposing side, pinch Ukrainian officials stating successful the past that about 20,000 fighters from 50 countries joined Ukraine’s International Legion, including about 3,000 Iraqis.

In the Russian military, galore of the enlisted foreigners came to Russia first arsenic students, but their visas lapsed and they do not want to return home. A important number besides recreation to Moscow connected tourer visas aft they are approved by the military. Once successful Russia, they sojourn offices of companies for illustration Alexandrovna’s and motion a statement pinch the Russian ministry of defense; others are met by a agent and a Russian serviceman astatine the airport.

Offers vary, but recruits could person a signing prize of 1.5 cardinal rubles (around $17,000), and depending connected wherever they fight, get a monthly net ranging betwixt $2,500 to $3,500 — a life-changing magnitude successful countries for illustration Egypt, wherever the mean net hardly exceeds $300.

Training lasts 4 to six weeks and includes connection instruction truthful foreigners could travel basal commands successful Russian. They person citizenship soon aft they join, and are fixed a two-week paid picnic six months into their one-year deployment. If they are killed aliases wounded, their families could declare the money and citizenship.

Among the recruitment ads, which look successful Arabic and different languages, Alexandrovna’s transmission keeps up a dependable hit of posts extolling the Russian army’s victories successful Ukraine.

Alexandrovna herself appears successful respective photos taken pinch recruits erstwhile they first onshore successful Russia; others picture overseas soldiers aft they person their citizenship, smiling to the camera and proudly showing disconnected their passports. Her clients look to beryllium mostly from the Arab world and parts of Africa.

“Each of my soldiers is simply a root of pride,” she writes successful 1 post, saying that they adhd to the “victory against the neo-Nazis from Ukraine.”

“Every worker must proudly and steadfastly take sides the caller homeland of Russia, because Russia becomes a caller homeland for each of them!” she writes.

Despite the risks, there’s nary deficiency of interest: A look connected Alexandrovna’s Telegram channel, titled “Friend of Russia” and featuring a image of Putin, shows much than 22,000 subscribers. Another channel, tally by an Iraqi man who calls himself Bahjat, has almost 30,000.

Members of a thousands-strong Telegram organization group tally by an Iraqi pinch the nickname Abbass the Supporter — who served successful the Russian subject for 3 years but now useful arsenic a agent and answers questions about deployments connected his TikTok transmission — participate successful chats asking really quickly they could get their visa and travel.

When contacted by The Times, Alexandrovna denied giving mendacious accusation to would-be recruits but did not reply elaborate questions about Hammad. Nevertheless, it’s unclear really Hammad concluded he would service successful rear positions: Most ads connected Alexandrovna’s transmission explicitly opportunity foreigners must conflict successful Ukraine, pinch nary mention of being capable to subordinate arsenic a driver aliases cook, and successful immoderate case, those decisions are made by the defense ministry.

The E-visa shape inquires about subject experience. Bahjat, who said connected information of only giving his first name, said those coming to the Russian service from overseas should expect to spell into combat, and that breaking the statement risks imprisonment.

“What, you deliberation a state is going to springiness you money and citizenship truthful you travel and cook?” he said successful a WhatsApp chat.

“I’ll springiness it to you straight. Everyone coming present is going to the frontline and to the war. Anyone saying different is speaking nonsense.”

The Jordanian ministry did not reply questions about Hammad, but ineligible experts opportunity governments person small recourse to repatriate their citizens if they signed a contract, unless they could beryllium they did truthful nether duress.

Lamees Hammad has been pleading pinch Jordan’s King Abdullah and authorities officials to pass pinch the Russian overseas ministry and to bring her hubby home. But successful the meantime, she said, she hoped the Jordanian authorities would astatine slightest artifact Telegram channels for illustration Alexandrovna’s to forestall others from pursuing successful Hammad’s steps.

“People should cognize if they do this,” she said, “they’re going to their death.”