(Photo by manhhai via Flickr/CC BY 2.0 DEED)

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On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an all-out invasion of neighbouring country Ukraine. This war, by way of air, land, and sea, and spearheaded by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, targeted various cities across Ukraine, in addition to military assets across the country. This attack on Ukrainian soil is not the first, as in 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, beginning the Russo-Ukrainian War today.

International responses, like that of United States President Joe Biden, have criticized the 2022 attack, calling it “unprovoked and unjustified.”  The U.S. issued sanctions against Russia’s top government officials, as well as on well-known banks and its entire oil and gas industries. Likewise, on March 2, 2022, 193 members of the UN voted to condemn Russia for its actions in Ukraine and called for an immediate withdrawal from the region.

Domestic Controversies of Conscription

While President Putin and the Kremlin face international pressure to stop their war, they continue to stir controversy domestically with their enlistment process. 

In September of 2022, Russia called upon an additional 300,000 troops to fight in the frontline of their war. These men are reservists — some reportedly above the legal conscription age — and still receiving a conscription notice. In response to the Kremlin’s demands, over 200,000 Russian men fled the country with no intention of returning, fearing for their lives.

Fast-Track Citizenship for Foreigners

With men across Russia fleeing the country, Russia has looked to foreigners to fight in this unpopular war. As such, on January 04, 2024, Putin signed a decree allowing a quicker path to Russian citizenship for foreigners who join the country’s army and special military operations in Ukraine. This year-long contract would bind its signatories to six months in active combat for the Russian state. In return, these foreigners would be eligible to avoid the traditional legal pathway to citizenship by demonstrating competency in Russian and living in the country for five years with a residency permit. 

In a dire effort to recruit more foreign soldiers, Putin amended the decree in May so that immigrants would no longer need to participate in six months’ worth of active hostilities. This faster road to citizenship deal enticed some foreigners, such as those from Cuba and Nepal. Cuba has a history of political alliances with Russia, as seen during their relationship with the USSR during the Cold War. Additionally, many Nepalese men previously served as Gurkhas — trained soldiers with precise military skills.

Soldiers Double-Crossed

TIME reported the story of Alex Vegas Díaz, a Cuban citizen, who came to Russia on the promise of doing “construction work” for the Russian military. Vegas Díaz was recruited via WhatsApp, an online messaging platform. In exchange, according to a Ukrainian hacker group, Vegas Díaz signed a formal contract with a questionnaire probing how he felt about military service. By signing this contract, he recognized the risk of engaging in active military combat in exchange for payment. 

Upon arrival to Russia, however, the realities of active combat and the risks they held affected Vegas Díaz deeply. He was swiftly put on the frontline, taken to a military base, and provided with fighting weapons. Vegas Díaz recounts feeling disillusioned and shocked upon stepping on these frontlines: “People are killed, [and you] feel the bombs falling next to you.” Being on the frontlines of Russia’s war was not what Díaz had initially signed up for, and he is pleading with the international community to “help [them] get out of here.”  

Vegas Díaz’s experience facing danger on the frontline mirrors that of Pritam Karki, a Nepalese soldier who fought on the frontlines of Russia’s war. According to Northern Public Radio, Karki, struggling with unemployment in Nepal due to an economic crisis, was enticed to go to Russia with the promise of a high salary and citizenship for his family. He travelled to Kathmandu from his village, where he paid a broker to get him to Russia.  

Unfortunately, on November 15, 2023, Karki was killed while serving in the Russian military in Ukraine. His family protested that “the agents duped him by telling him that his role in the Russian army would be similar to what he did in Afghanistan.” Nepalese citizens, like Karki, have previously served as “Gurkhas,” or security officers, in countries like Afghanistan. However, there is no formal treaty between Russia and Nepal to facilitate the work of these Gurkhas. 

Cuba and Nepal have responded differently to their citizens coming to Russia and being involved in the war. TIME reports that the Cuban government, an ally of Russia, has been trying to maintain neutrality in the war by blaming this issue on human trafficking networks. In September of 2023, Cuban authorities arrested 17 people as part of a network that recruits Cuban nationals to fight in the war in Ukraine.

However, human rights groups suggest that Cuban airport officials did not stamp the passports of recruits to maintain neutrality on the conflict. Meanwhile, Nepalese officials clarified, “We don’t want to fight the war on behalf of Russia. We believe in peace and we believe in the U.N. Charter. So we have requested them to release our poor people.”

Patterns of Exploitation

As the war wages on, the families and loved ones of migrant soldiers are left unaware. The recruitment of men from Cuba and Nepal reveals a broader structure of power at hand. Karl Marx’s dependency theory outlines that in the current global capitalist system, there occurs an “unequal exchange” of resources from the Global South — those countries without economic capital — to the wealthy Global North. These resources are limited to raw materials or manufactured goods, but they include people moving across borders. Countries like Cuba and Nepal constitute this Global South when they engage in an unequal exchange of resources with Russia, watching their men fight Russia’s war. The men’s immigrant status, lack of economic privilege, and identity as men of colour make them vulnerable to exploitation by the Russian state. 

Soldiers Remain Vulnerable

Russia’s war in Ukraine remains controversial in the international community as well as domestically, as seen in their conscription process. Because of this unpopularity and need for soldiers, Russia looks to foreign soldiers to fight this war for them. With promises of citizenship and attractive pay on the line, many men of colour from countries like Cuba and Nepal have been drawn into Russia’s war. 

However, when placed on the frontlines of Russia’s war, they face a different reality: a fear that they will never become citizens or be able to return to their home countries because of the brutalities of war. While Cuban enlistees signed contracts and posted about their involvement in the war on social media, countries like Cuba and Nepal must take the lead in raising more awareness about the dangers of the war and allowing them to make more informed decisions about joining.

Edited by Lubaba Mahmud