Ukraine has issued a call to action directed at Global South nations, urging them to take stronger measures to prevent their citizens from being recruited to fight for Russia in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. This appeal comes as Ukraine presented what it claims to be eight prisoners of war from these countries.
Among the individuals showcased are five men from Nepal, along with one each from Cuba, Somalia, and Sierra Leone, as outlined by Petro Yatsenko, a representative at the Ukrainian government’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Yatsenko emphasized the need for more robust measures to thwart the recruitment efforts of agitators, particularly targeting vulnerable populations in countries with lower income levels.
Concerns about recruitment tactics have been underscored by recent revelations, such as India’s discovery of a significant trafficking network enticing young men with job opportunities in Russia, only to conscript them into military service on the front lines. Nepal, likewise, has previously appealed to Moscow to refrain from recruiting its citizens into the Russian army and to repatriate any Nepali soldiers currently serving there.
The prisoners, clad in military attire, were presented during a press conference in central Kyiv. Yatsenko clarified that until deemed mercenaries by a court, they would be treated as any other prisoners of war.
Yatsenko also noted a shifting trend, indicating a rise in the number of foreigners fighting for Russia as the flow of recruits from Russian prisons wanes. This trend coincides with developments within the Wagner group, a prominent Russian private military organization, which historically recruited extensively from prisons until its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, staged a mutiny and later died in a plane crash last year.
While allegations of recruiting citizens from Global South nations persist, Russia has yet to respond to these claims. Moscow often accuses Kyiv of harboring foreign mercenaries, an assertion vehemently denied by Ukraine.