In the first nine months of 2026, Russia recruited more foreigners than in all of 2025
In the first nine months of 2026, Russia recruited more foreigners than in the entire year of 2025. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Specifically, it is reported that as of October 1, 2026, according to data from the “I Want to Live” (Khochu Zhyt) project, the identities of 45,959 foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces have been established. These individuals include citizens of 151 countries as well as representatives from unrecognized territories:
2022 – 94 individuals; 2023 – 4,067; 2024 – 8,877; 2025 – 16,085; and in the first 9 months of 2026 – 16,168.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War notes that Russia had planned to recruit 18,500 people in 2026; currently, it is recruiting approximately 1,800 foreigners per month.
“If this pace continues, the target will be exceeded as early as November, and by the end of the year, the number of new contract recruits could reach 21,500,” the statement reads.
The highest number of foreigners have been recruited from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Belarus, while the fastest growth in recruitment is occurring in countries across Africa and Latin America. In just the first nine months of 2026, 1,449 citizens of Colombia, 699 from Burundi, 530 from Zimbabwe, and 503 from Peru signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, citizens from 59 countries have been taken prisoner by Ukraine since 2022.
It is reported that in 2026, Russia plans to recruit a record number of 18,500 foreigners into its army.