UN finds proof of citizens from 29 countries forced into Russian military

A United Nations panel has uncovered evidence that foreign nationals from 29 countries—including Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka—were fraudulently recruited and coerced into serving with the Russian armed forces in the Ukraine war, according to a report submitted to the UN General Assembly.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine revealed that Moscow targeted economically disadvantaged and lesser-educated individuals aged 18 to 60 through international recruitment networks, travel agencies, and local brokers.

Upon arrival in Russia, victims were forced to sign Russian-language contracts with the Ministry of Defence without understanding the text or realizing they were being deployed to active combat zones.

Out of 48 nations investigated, the commission confirmed fraudulent military recruitment from 29 countries: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Brazil, Botswana, Cameroon, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ghana, Honduras, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, South Africa, Somalia, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and Zimbabwe.

The report detailed how recruits were thrust into high-risk front-line operations, resulting in numerous casualties, disappearances, and captures by Ukrainian forces, where survivors were granted prisoner-of-war status.

Beyond troop recruitment, the UN report documented systematic Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy grid, concluding that deliberate attacks on power, water, and heating infrastructure during winter amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"These attacks on energy infrastructure constitute war crimes because they directly targeted civilian facilities, leaving ordinary citizens to endure freezing temperatures in total darkness," Commission Chairman Erik Møse told a press briefing.

The report, compiled from testimony gathered from 255 victims, healthcare workers, and civic organization representatives across Kyiv and other regions, noted that power outages left elderly citizens stranded in high-rises and placed life-support patients at severe risk.

Responding to the allegations, Russia’s Permanent Mission to the UN rejected the commission's report, dismissing all findings as baseless and reliant on false information.

-EM