That is according to a latest the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, The Guardian reports.
As the update states, since late June Russia had been appealing to citizens of neighbouring countries with recruitment advertisements for people to fight in Ukraine.
Read more: Ukraine's Defense Intelligence States That Russia Mobilizes About 20,000 People Every Month
Online ads had been seen in Armenia and Kazakhstan offering 495,000 roubles (about $5,100/£4,100) in initial payments and salaries from 190,000 roubles (about $2,000/£1,500), U.K. Defense Ministry said. There had also been recruitment efforts in Kazakhstan’s northern Qostanai region, appealing to the ethnic russian population.
According to the U.K. Defense Ministry’s Defense Intelligence, since at least May, Russia had approached central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine with promises of fast-track citizenship and salaries of up to $4,160.
Uzbek migrant builders in Mariupol were reportedly stripped of their passports upon arrival and coerced to join the Russian army.
“There are at least six million migrants from Central Asia in Russia, which the Kremlin likely sees as potential recruits. Russia likely wishes to avoid further unpopular domestic mobilisation measures in the run up to the 2024 Presidential elections. Exploiting foreign nationals allows the Kremlin to acquire additional personnel for its war effort in the face of mounting casualties,” the U.K. Defense Ministry Defense Intelligence said in its update, posted on X/Twitter.
As Defense Express reported, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Stated That russia Were Mobilizing About 20,000 People Every Month. We also wrote, that russian Authorities Changed Legislation on Conscription, 70-year-old Senior Officers Might Be Mobilized.
Read more: russia’s Drones Terrorised Odesa Region At Night on Sunday Hiting Port Infrastructure