Ukraine Intelligence Agency Releases Details on Eight Indonesians Recruited Into Russian Army

Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service says at least eight Indonesian citizens have been recruited into Russia’s military, presenting Indonesia as the latest example of a broader Russian campaign to enlist foreigners for the war against Ukraine.

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Indonesia has become the latest example of this pattern.

The agency said it obtained documents on the Indonesians’ recruitment. According to its account, Moscow has used a similar scheme in dozens of countries, offering high salaries, noncombat assignments, fast-tracked Russian citizenship and social benefits.

The intelligence service said many recruits do not know where they will ultimately be sent. It also said that foreigners recruited from Nepal, Cuba, Kenya and India have often ended up on the frontline without training, and that some died within their first weeks there.

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Promises of high salaries, noncombat duties, expedited Russian citizenship and social benefits attract people who, more often than not, do not know where they are actually being sent.

FISU described the recruitment drive as serving several purposes for the Kremlin. Foreign recruits can help fill personnel shortages at the front, while their presence can support a propaganda narrative of international backing for Russia’s “special military operation.” The agency also linked the campaign to growing domestic dissatisfaction with Russia’s social and economic situation, the war and plans for another mobilization wave.

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And some died within the first few weeks.