Russia Sends 20,000 Migrants to Fight in Ukraine

It has been reported that approximately 20,000 migrants have been sent to fight in Ukraine after being granted Russian citizenship. Officers from Russia’s military service regularly conduct investigations to identify newly naturalized men who refuse to serve in the Russian army and go to fight in Ukraine, according to Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation. ‘We have identified 80,000 individuals whom we registered for military service. And 20,000 of these ‘new’ Russian citizens – who, for some reason, didn’t like life in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, or Kyrgyzstan – are already on the front lines,’ stated Bastrykin. More than 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia remains a top destination for many illegal migrants, especially from former Soviet Central Asian republics. The living standards in the countries mentioned by Bastrykin are much lower compared to Russia, and there is a lack of job opportunities. Therefore, many young people travel to Russia seeking work, hoping to eventually gain Russian citizenship. The Kremlin also offers financial incentives to attract volunteers for the war, particularly from poor regions of Russia. Soldiers from North Korea, an ally of Russia, were deployed in recent months in the Russian Kursk region to fight against Ukrainian forces that had seized territories. There have also been reports of conscription of citizens from other countries such as China, India, Cuba, Senegal, and Togo.