Hundreds of people from almost 50 countries held in Ukrainian captivity. They were recruited for war by representatives of russia

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have captured citizens from nearly 50 countries who were fighting on the side of the aggressor, russia. This is according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

The ministry, in collaboration with the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KShPPV), has launched the Stop Russian Recruiters information resource to expose Russia’s system of recruiting foreigners to fight against Ukraine.

According to data published on the website, russia has already recruited over 28,000 people from 135 countries. More than 5,000 foreigners have died while participating in the war against Ukraine.

In addition, since the start of the full-scale invasion, citizens of 48 countries have been taken prisoner by the Ukrainian military. The number of foreign prisoners is not specified.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that the Stop Russian Recruiters website publishes information on the schemes and scale of foreign recruitment for the war against Ukraine, as well as the geographic scope of russian recruiters’ activities.

"Russia is increasingly involving citizens of other countries in the war: migrant workers, the unemployed, and members of socially vulnerable groups from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. To do this, they use deception, psychological pressure, and financial manipulation," the ministry stated.

As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in November 2025, Secretary of the Committee on National Security and Defense Policy Dmytro Usov stated that russia had recruited approximately 18,000 foreigners to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Also in November 2025, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that nearly 1,500 people from 36 African countries are fighting in the ranks of the russian army.

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