Russia is using deception, coercion, and economic exploitation to recruit foreign nationals into its armed forces and deploy them to the front lines in Ukraine, according to a new report by Amnesty International. The rights group say at least 28,000 foreign combatants from 136 countries had joined the conflict by the end of 2024.

These practices deliberately target economically vulnerable people from low-income countries and, in many instances, amount to human trafficking under international law.

“The level of exploitation and coercion involved led us to conclude that in many cases this amounts to human trafficking, as defined under the UN’s Palermo Protocol,” said Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard.

Local recruiting agents and misleading online job listings have played a central role in luring victims. Recruits from Brazil, Colombia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, and Sri Lanka reported they were promised civilian jobs in security, logistics, IT and construction with lucrative salaries and quick access to Russian citizenship, but upon arrival in Moscow, they were fraudulently conscripted into the military. Foreign nationals already residing in Russia with vulnerable immigration status were similarly targeted.

Between 2024 and 2026, Amnesty researchers visited two prisoner-of-war (POW) camps in western Ukraine and interviewed dozens of captured foreign soldiers, including nationals from Sierra Leone.

“Building on pre-existing exploitative migration pathways and abusive practices towards migrants and refugees in Russia, recruiters have developed a system of coercion, fraud and deception, including false promises of civilian or non-combat employment, to enlist foreigners in the military,” Callamard said.

In one case, a South African man who applied online for a driving job was instructed by an agent to fly to Moscow to collect a truck and drive it to Poland. Upon arrival in Moscow, handlers confiscated his belongings and informed him he was now a soldier.

Recruits received as little as two weeks of basic training before being deployed into active combat zones. Amnesty noted that the strategy relies on using foreign personnel to swell frontline troop numbers, showing minimal concern for their combat readiness or survival.

“Once victims sign the paperwork, often in a language they do not understand, military commanders restrict their movements, deploy them to the front lines with minimal preparation, and threaten those who seek a way out,” Callamard added.

Some recruits from Brazil and Sri Lanka reported having their passports and phones seized, while others were forcibly detained in military facilities. A Brazilian IT professional recounted being threatened with imprisonment or death when he attempted to back out.

Amnesty is now urging foreign governments whose citizens may be targeted to issue public warnings about fraudulent employment schemes connected to Russia and to strengthen efforts to combat human trafficking.