Overview
- Amnesty published its report on Sept. 10, 2026, concluding that Russia used deceptive, coercive and exploitative methods to enlist thousands of foreign nationals and that many cases meet the UN Palermo Protocol definition of human trafficking.
- Researchers interviewed detainees during six visits to Ukrainian POW camps between 2024 and 2026 and spoke with captured recruits from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Sri Lanka, Somalia and South Africa.
- The report documents recruitment through fake online job adverts and local agents, plus coercion inside Russia by threatening migrants with detention or deportation unless they signed military contracts.
- Recruits describe signing contracts in languages they did not understand, having passports and phones confiscated, receiving minimal training before front‑line deployment, and being threatened if they tried to leave.
- Amnesty called for prosecutions of private recruiters, intermediaries and state actors but warned its ability to investigate inside Russia is limited by its 'foreign agent' designation, leaving questions about evidence, repatriation and diplomatic pressure on Moscow.