Moscow.- An increasing number of countries in Latin America, Africa, and other continents are demanding that Russia cease the recruitment of their citizens to fight in the ranks of the Russian army in Ukraine, to which Moscow responds with arguments such as that these foreigners freely sign contracts for economic reasons or out of solidarity with the Kremlin.
Recruiting foreigners to fight in Ukraine is one of the ways the Kremlin has to counter the pressing lack of men on the front, the high number of casualties and, most importantly, to avoid an unpopular second mobilization before the legislative elections in September.
In an attempt to encourage interested parties to sign professional contracts, Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted a law last March that prohibits the extradition of foreigners who have served in the military.
Latin American diplomats react to families’ protests
Just this week, two countries -Panama and Ghana- have raised with Moscow the serious problem posed by the recruitment of their nationals to fight on the Ukrainian front. The families of the combatants, particularly those killed in action or missing, are turning to their governments to denounce human trafficking and are even demonstrating in front of Russian embassies.
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In this regard, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov received the Panamanian ambassador, Carmen Inés Ávila Ortega, on Tuesday. Last week, the Central American country announced contacts to repatriate the twenty or so Panamanians fighting on the Russian side, to which must be added another ten on the enemy side, with one confirmed death.
“I really think that many Panamanians, perhaps not all, have been deceived regarding the purpose of their trip to Russia. By third parties, not by governments,” stated Javier Martínez-Acha, Panamanian Foreign Minister.
This is a problem in which Peruvian, Colombian, Cuban, or Bolivian citizens were also involved, two of whom were repatriated, according to what La Paz reported this week.
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The Peruvian Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador a week ago to inquire about the lack of information regarding the Peruvians who have died or gone missing among the 459 fighting in Russian ranks.
The president, Keiko Fujimori, has also expressed her “concern”, as 11 Peruvians have died and 114 are missing, although 27 Peruvian citizens have returned home safe and sound.
Thousands of Africans fight in Ukraine
On Monday, it was Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who publicly asked his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for Russia to cease the recruitment of its citizens.
“Sixty-two Ghanaians have died (on the Ukrainian front), another 15 are missing,” he stated. This is a sensitive issue for Moscow, which will host a Russia-Africa summit in October.
Kenya, which estimated that more than a thousand of its nationals had been hired by Moscow, managed to get Lavrov to promise earlier this year that recruitment would cease. In May, Nairobi estimated that about twenty had died and about thirty were missing.
Ukraine reports that nearly 500 Africans have been killed by its army out of the nearly 3,000 recruited by Moscow since February 2022. In total, Kyiv estimates that there are about 27,000 foreigners from 44 countries on the enemy army’s payroll.
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Unconvincing Russian explanations
Lavrov has had to put a brave face on a bad situation, but his explanations have not convinced any country. He assured that the Ministry of Defense has created a special structure to manage complaints. “We have received similar requests from several countries,” he admitted on Monday.
In his opinion, some foreigners sign contracts “for economic reasons, which is nothing unusual,” to which he added that others do so “out of solidarity with the country that helped them fight racism.”
In the case of Kenya, Lavrov stated that “no one” is hired or recruited, as they are volunteers who arrive in Russia in strict accordance with the legislation, just as it happens with labor migrants.
“I don’t think anyone can tell their citizens not to look for work in places where it exists (…) We are not recruiting, we are responding to requests,” he commented.
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Recently, the Russian Embassy in Lima asserted that Moscow assumes that “everyone who signed contracts was capable and aware (…) of the conditions of military service and the associated risks” and “highly” valued the contribution of Peruvians to the military effort.
The reports also point out that foreign citizens can be exposed to situations of pressure or deception, especially when they are going through economic difficulties, facing immigration problems, or seeking employment opportunities and stability. This has led human rights organizations to demand more information and protection for those who receive these types of offers.
