Russian authorities stated that they have sent approximately 20,000 migrants to fight in the war against Ukraine after they obtained citizenship.
Russian authorities have conducted raids against Russian citizens who were recently naturalized on a regular basis. However, many of these men have refused to register for military service, according to Welt.
“We have singled out 80,000 and registered them for military service, and 20,000 of these ‘young’ Russian citizens, who for some reason don’t like living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, or Kyrgyzstan, are already at the front, said the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, according to the state news agency Tass.
Russia has taken in many immigrants from former satellite countries of the Soviet Union, which includes many nations from Central Asia. Now, these migrants are expected to serve in combat like all other Russian citizens.
In countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the standard of living is far lower than in Russia. Many young men from these countries enter Russia as guest workers and then work to obtain Russian citizenship.
Russia has sought to boost its ranks both through drafts and volunteers, especially from Russia’s poorer regions. However, many of these Central Asian countries have far higher birthrates and a larger pool of young men to choose from, making Russia eager to also tap into these resources.
In some videos posted by Ukrainian sources, even migrants who appear to have come from African countries have been seen fighting for Russia. In addition, North Korea sent approximately 10,000 troops to fight in Kharkiv.
While Russia faces less of a manpower shortage than Ukraine due to its larger population, Moscow is reluctant to implement drafts, both due to public perception and the subsequent labor shortages that can arise by taking working-age men and sending them to the front.
Russia appears to see migrants as a useful stopgap measure, but how enthusiastic these migrants are to be sent is probably most evident by the fact that Russia acknowledges many of these men failed to register for military duty. In essence, Russia is hunting down these new citizens and sending them to the front, often against their will.
It should be noted that if the 20,000 figure is true, this still makes up a small fraction of Russia’s overall armed forces. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for recently naturalized foreigners to fight in national armed forces, as it is also often seen in other countries. One notable difference is that Russia is currently at war and suffering from extremely high casualty rates at the frontline.
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