russian forces are reportedly marking foreign mercenaries serving in the occupation army with individual identification numbers, according to Ukraine's Defense Intelligence. The agency published photographs on August 17 that it says show the system being used to identify and monitor foreign fighters recruited by russia.
According to the Defense Intelligence, the numbers are used as an alternative to standard military identification tags. Instead, foreign recruits are assigned so-called "inventory numbers" that are placed on their equipment or directly on their skin.
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The markings are reportedly made with durable substances such as henna or jagua. The marks can remain visible for several weeks and cannot simply be washed off with soap and water. If a marking begins to fade, it is allegedly reapplied to ensure that the number remains identifiable.
Ukraine's agency says the system is intended to strengthen russian control over foreign recruits and facilitate their identification. The numbers can reportedly also be used by russian forces when checking foreigners inside russia.
Russian security personnel inspect foreigners, including students and migrant workers, for the markings in an effort to identify potential deserters from the russian military. This would allow russian authorities to distinguish people who have been recruited into the armed forces from other foreign nationals.
The agency described the practice as a form of "depersonalization", arguing that assigning numbers instead of using conventional identification methods reduces individuals to easily tracked units. Ukraine's Defense Intelligence compared the system to methods historically associated with concentration camps under Nazi Germany.
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