‘Sent to be killed’: How Russia forces migrants to fight in Ukraine

Central Asian migrants coerced into Russian military service face a brutal four-month life expectancy on the Ukrainian front lines. | Contesto: cronaca

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• ‘Sent to be killed’: How Russia forces migrants to fight in Ukraine

Contesto

Central Asian migrants in Russia are being systematically coerced into military service and sent to fight in Ukraine, where their life expectancy on the front line is a stark four months, according to extensive new reporting. The practice, which human rights groups describe as a form of forced conscription, targets vulnerable labor migrants from countries like Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, often leveraging their precarious legal status and economic desperation. Interviews with former fighters, their families, and advocacy organizations reveal a pattern of pressure and deception. Migrants, many of whom traveled to Russia for construction or service industry jobs, report being detained during routine document checks. They are then presented with a grim choice: face deportation and a lifetime ban from re-entering Russia, a catastrophic economic blow for families dependent on remittances, or sign a military contract. The promise of a significant salary—far beyond what they could earn in civilian life—and a fast-track to Russian citizenship is dangled as an incentive, though veterans say those promises are frequently broken. The consequences of this coerced recruitment are devastating. Once deployed, these individuals, often with minimal training, are reportedly used in high-risk assault units and exposed to some of the most intense combat zones. The cited four-month life expectancy statistic underscores their placement on the battlefield's most dangerous edges. Families back in Central Asia are often left in the dark, receiving no official notification from Russian authorities when their sons are killed, learning the fate only through informal networks or the return of a body in a sealed zinc coffin. This policy carries significant geopolitical implications for Moscow's relations with Central Asia. Governments in Tashkent, Dushanbe, and Bishkek have issued muted, cautious statements, urging their citizens to avoid participating in foreign conflicts. Privately, however, there is deep frustration, as the practice siphons off a segment of their labor force and returns casualties, creating a domestic political problem. The Kremlin has consistently denied any...

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Categoria: cronaca