India Among 47 Nations Whose Citizens Russia Recruited For Ukraine War, Zelenskyy Says At UNGA

Russia has recruited citizens from 47 countries to fight in its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said while addressing the United Nations General Assembly.

Zelenskyy said nationals from countries including India, Nepal, Ghana, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Kenya, Belarus, Sudan, South Africa and Tajikistan had been drawn into Russian military units.

He accused Moscow of relying on financial incentives, deception and trafficking networks to recruit foreigners as the war continued to put pressure on Russia’s manpower requirements.

According to Zelenskyy, some foreign nationals were brought to Russia after being promised civilian jobs, employment opportunities or education. They were then allegedly pressured or coerced into joining the military and sent to fight in Ukraine.

“I want to speak directly to every representative of these 47 countries... you know what Russia is doing with your people, your citizens. Take care of them,” Zelenskyy said.

He urged governments to protect their citizens and investigate recruitment networks facilitating their deployment to the war.

Ukraine has previously accused Russia of targeting people from economically vulnerable countries with offers of well-paid jobs, Russian citizenship and other benefits. In some cases, recruits were allegedly promised work in sectors including security, construction, logistics or driving before being sent to the battlefield.

Amnesty International has documented cases involving nationals from Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The organisation said some recruits were pressured into signing military contracts, had their passports or phones taken away and were sent to combat zones with little military training.

Amnesty also alleged that migrants’ vulnerable financial or legal circumstances were sometimes used to pressure them into joining the Russian military.

India is among the countries whose citizens Zelenskyy identified as fighting for Russia. Indian nationals have previously been reported among foreign recruits, including people who said they were misled about the nature of the work they were offered in Russia.

The recruitment has also triggered diplomatic concerns elsewhere. Ghana, for instance, asked Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens after its foreign minister said 62 Ghanaians had been killed in Ukraine and 15 remained missing.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said some Ghanaians had joined the Russian military for financial reasons and that Moscow had created a mechanism to review cases involving foreign recruits.

Zelenskyy also pointed to Russia’s military cooperation with other countries, saying North Korean troops have been deployed to support Russian forces.

Ukraine has called on foreign governments to investigate the recruitment of their citizens, seek the return of those sent to the war zone and act against networks facilitating their deployment.