An Amnesty International report published on 10 September 2026 concludes that Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine frequently involves deceptive or coercive methods and, in many cases, rises to the level of trafficking in persons.
Scope and findings
The study, summarised by Natalia Kolesnikova of AFP and released by Amnesty International, situates these recruitment practices within the broader harms of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has already produced wide civilian suffering and destruction. Amnesty’s research traces how existing migration pathways and longstanding abusive practices against migrants inside Russia have been adapted and intensified since February 2022 to channel people into active participation in hostilities.
According to the report, the methods used to recruit foreign nationals from low-income countries in the Global South are often deceptive or coercive and consistently exploitative. Where perpetrators include private recruiters, intermediaries, state actors or military commanders, Amnesty argues these practices may constitute the crime of trafficking in persons.
“The level of exploitation and coercion involved… leads to the conclusion that the reported practices connected to the recruitment of foreign nationals to fight for Russian forces in many cases amount to the crime of trafficking in persons.”
Calls for accountability and remedy
Amnesty calls for an immediate end to the abusive practices it documents and for full accountability of all those involved or complicit. The organisation also demands effective reparations for individuals and families who have suffered human rights violations as a result of the practices.
In addition, the report stresses that where trafficking has occurred, affected individuals should be recognised as victims — a point Amnesty says applies even to those currently held by Ukraine as prisoners of war.
| Demand | Actors referenced |
|---|---|
| End deceptive and coercive recruitment | Private recruiters, intermediaries, state officials, military commanders |
| Full accountability | All directly involved and complicit parties |
| Effective reparations | Victims and families harmed by recruitment practices |
| Victim status for trafficked combatants | Includes those held by Ukraine as prisoners of war |
Context and implications
The report links the abusive recruitment to pre-existing vulnerabilities among migrants in Russia and to migration routes that traffickers exploit. Amnesty’s finding that such recruitment may amount to trafficking has legal and diplomatic implications. If substantiated and acted upon, it could trigger criminal investigations, international cooperation on prosecutions, and claims for reparations through human rights mechanisms.
For countries in the Global South whose nationals are reported to have been recruited, the findings raise consular and diplomatic concerns. Governments facing reports that their citizens have been deceived or coerced into combat will need to weigh responses ranging from intensified consular outreach and evacuation efforts to bilateral and multilateral pressure aimed at ending abusive recruitment.
Domestically, states must also consider the obligations under anti-trafficking frameworks and international humanitarian law to identify and protect potential victims, even where those individuals have been engaged in hostilities. Amnesty’s recommendation that individuals trafficked into combat be recognised as victims, including those detained as prisoners of war, underscores tensions between criminal accountability and victim protection in armed conflict.
What happens next
- Amnesty urges immediate cessation of the documented recruitment practices.
- The organisation calls for investigations and prosecutions of those responsible, whether private or state actors.
- It recommends provision of full reparations to victims and their families.
The report represents another major human rights assessment of the wider consequences of the war in Ukraine, extending the focus beyond battlefield harms to the transnational networks that profit from exploitation. Governments, international agencies and judicial bodies will now face pressure to examine the findings and consider steps to prevent and remedy trafficking linked to recruitment for armed conflict.
