Foreign Recruitment into the Russian War: Protests in India Against Deception and Enlistment
In recent months, Russia’s efforts to bolster its military forces through active foreign recruitment have garnered significant attention.
In India, a large protest took place where relatives of citizens who were deceived into enlisting in the Russian army gathered to demand government intervention and the safe return of their sons and brothers.
According to participants, these men traveled to Russia supposedly for training or employment, but were forcefully or fraudulently sent to the front lines, where many perished or went missing.
The families have received neither the bodies of their loved ones nor financial compensation.
This incident underscores how Russia increasingly uses foreigners as ‘cannon fodder’ in its military campaigns, concealing the true extent of its losses.
Similar cases were previously reported in Kenya, where law enforcement uncovered a criminal network recruiting men for combat on Russia’s side, promising high-paying jobs but forcing recruits into military contracts upon arrival.