Russia is increasingly turning to foreign recruits to replenish its forces fighting in Ukraine, with at least 18 Americans identified as having joined the Russian military, according to Ukrainian officials cited by the New York Post. US recruits are reportedly being offered a signing bonus of about $26,000, along with a monthly salary.The recruitment is being driven through a network of agents who use platforms including Facebook, TikTok and Telegram to find potential recruits. Ukrainian officials said recruiters can earn money for each person they bring in, with some reportedly receiving about $24,000 per recruit as well as a share of the recruit’s salary.The effort extends far beyond Americans. Ukrainian security officials have identified nearly 29,000 foreigners from 135 countries fighting for Russia, although the actual number could be higher. Amnesty International has separately documented deceptive and exploitative recruitment practices targeting foreign nationals, including promises of civilian jobs, high salaries, legal status or Russian citizenship.
US citizens joining Russia’s war
One of those recruited was Seth William Baker, a former US Marine from Gilbert, Arizona. Baker, who had served as a lance corporal and worked as a bulk fuel specialist, was 23 when he was killed on the frontlines in Ukraine, around three months after signing up.Baker had joined the Marines at 18 but was later discharged after refusing the military’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate. He subsequently became involved with Russian propaganda online before travelling to Russia.In a recording made from a Russian bunker, Baker said the vaccine mandate had been one of the factors behind his decision to leave the US military and join Russia’s war effort.Vitaliy Matvienko, who heads Ukraine’s state-backed project encouraging Russian soldiers to surrender, described Baker’s case as typical of the people Russia’s recruitment network seeks out. He said Russia had turned foreign recruitment into an “entire industry” as it struggles to replace battlefield losses.Baker is not the only American identified as having fought for Russia.Michael Gloss, 21, the son of a former CIA official, was killed while fighting in Ukraine in April 2024. Ukrainian intelligence has also identified 17 other Americans who had enlisted in the Russian military.Another case involves former Massachusetts city councillor Wilmer Puello-Mota, who left the US while facing a child sexual-abuse-related case and later joined Russian forces. He was wounded by shrapnel in Ukraine in August.Derek Huffman, 47, moved his family to Russia and later signed up for the military, according to the report. He had previously criticised what he described as LGBTQ “indoctrination” in the US and said he wanted to earn respect and Russian citizenship.Matvienko said foreign recruits serve a dual purpose for Moscow: they provide additional manpower while also allowing Russia to portray Americans and other foreigners fighting alongside its troops as evidence of international support for its war.Foreign recruits can also be easier for Russia to absorb politically when they are killed, he said, because their deaths do not necessarily generate the same reaction inside Russian society as the deaths of Russian soldiers.The recruitment comes as Russia continues to sustain heavy battlefield losses. Ukrainian officials cited by the New York Post estimated that Russia was suffering tens of thousands of casualties each month and increasingly relying on foreign nationals to help fill its ranks.