Military: Egyptians recruited by Russia fight in Kharkiv Oblast.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Russia has been deploying foreign volunteers, namely residents of Egypt, to fight in its war against Ukraine in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine's Operational Tactical Group "Kharkiv" reported on Aug.

4. "In Vovchansk, the enemy has intensified aerial reconnaissance with drones and is moving personnel," the military wrote. "The enemy is recruiting foreign volunteers, in particular, Egyptian citizens, to conduct hostilities."

Russia is known to have targeted men from countries including Cuba, Kazakhstan, Somalia, and Nepal to fight in its army. Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War earlier reported that Russia is increasingly involving foreign mercenaries from countries with a "difficult economic situation" in its war in Ukraine. In late June, a captured Nepali POW told Ukrainian authorities on video obtained exclusively by the Kyiv Independent that over 3,000 Nepalis may have joined the Russian army.

The man said that Nepalis are promised a job away from the front line and given a contract that stipulates a 105 day training period, which he did not receive.

Russia is "recruiting all nationalities," the POW added. Also in June, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Kyrgyz service reported that a Kyrgyz national was sentenced to five years in prison for fighting for Russia in Ukraine, as the country's law forbids participating in conflicts on foreign territory. Leaked documents also reveal that Russia has been coercing Cuban citizens into the Russian Armed Forces with salaries of approximately £2,000 per month, in addition to offers of a Russian passport within months of signing up, a BBC investigation revealed on May 4.

'I'd be a king in Somalia with this money:' Foreign POWs on being lured to fight for Russia in Ukraine

Adil Muhammad, a Somali, sits in a Russian military uniform among other prisoners of war (POWs) in a press conference in Ukraine's capital in mid-March.

The former infantryman was captured in combat near Marinka in Donetsk Oblast while fighting with the Russian army in Ukraine in early 2024, five