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- Russia is attempting to recruit Central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence said.
- They are reportedly being enticed with high payments and offers of a fast track to Russian citizenship.
- Russia is likely trying to avoid another mandatory mobilization to minimize domestic anger.
The Russian military is trying to recruit Central Asian migrant workers in the country to fight in Ukraine, according to a UK Ministry of Defence intelligence update posted on Twitter Monday.
Recruiters have visited mosques and immigration offices, where staff who speak Tajik and Uzek attempt to recruit migrants, the update said.
The statement cited the US government-funded Radio Free Europe, which reported that migrants are being enticed with high payments and offers of a fast track to Russian citizenship (within six months to one year, compared with the usual wait of five years) in exchange for joining the miltary.
—Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 8, 2023
Russian recruiters have been offering initial sign-up bonuses of $2,390 followed by salaries of up to $4,160 a month, Radio Free Europe reported.
Millions of people from Central Asia and other former Soviet countries have migrated to Russia in recent decades due to high levels of unemployment in their home countries, according to the outlet.
Jurabek Amonov, a migrant rights advocate in Russia, told the outlet he warns migrants against taking up the offer, which he says doesn't even require the typically mandatory medical check-up.
"I always tell the migrants that 99% of those who went to war in the hope of getting Russian passports were killed in Ukraine. It's also illegal for them to go to Ukraine," he was quoted as saying.
These recruits would likely be sent to the frontlines in Ukraine where the casualty rate is "extremely high," the UK Ministry of Defense said.
While Russia has not confirmed the number of deaths, the US recently estimated that 100,000 Russian fighters were killed or wounded in the conflict since December 2022.
The attempts to recruit migrants come amid reports that Russia is trying to sign up 400,000 additional soldiers.
Russian authorities are most likely attempting to avoid mandatory mobilization for as long as possible, the UK department noted, after the first call-up of 300,000 reservists in September sparked protests and caused thousands of fighting-age men to flee the country.