The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has documented cases of deception and coercion in the recruitment of nationals of 29 countries to serve in Russia's armed forces. The findings were included in materials the commission released on October 26 about Russia's conduct during its war against Ukraine.
According to the commission's statement, investigators examined recruitment involving nationals of 48 countries. For people from 29 countries, they identified circumstances indicating deceptive promises or coercion. The figure 29 therefore refers to the countries of origin of identified victims, not the number of people recruited.
The commission described intermediaries and recruitment agencies presenting themselves as legitimate businesses and offering civilian jobs or other attractive opportunities. They arranged visas and travel documents and sometimes escorted groups of recruits to Russia. After arriving, the men were forced to sign contracts with Russia's Defense Ministry in Russian, a language many did not understand.
The testimony examined included an account from the wife of a recruit from the Caribbean. She said her husband's passport was taken away and he was forced to sign documents without a genuine opportunity to refuse. The commission said recruits were sent to the front lines and assigned dangerous missions. Some were killed or went missing, while others were taken prisoner by Ukraine.
The commission characterized the documented cases as human trafficking and violations of international human rights law. It called for the victims to be released from service in the Russian military. Its conclusions concern the cases it documented; they do not mean that every foreign national who voluntarily joined Russia's armed forces was recruited through deception.
The commission also pointed to a high degree of coordination between recruiters operating in different countries and Russian authorities. Its findings describe a systemic practice but do not establish the individual criminal liability of specific intermediaries or officials.