Russia reportedly restricts recruitment of foreign fighters from dozens of ‘friendly’ countries
Russia has reportedly issued a “stop-list” to military recruiters, banning citizens from as many as 43 countries from enlisting to fight in Ukraine, according to the independent media outlet iStories.
The initial list surfaced in January 2026, circulating in Arabic-language recruiter groups and chats online. Featuring 36 countries in total — primarily from across Africa and the Middle East — the list notably included several “friendly” nations, such as China, India, Brazil, Turkey, Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela.
A major regional recruitment center subsequently confirmed the existence of the initial list to iStories.
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While the official origins of the stop-list remain unconfirmed, iStories traced the first mention of these restrictions to a TikTok video posted by a Ghanaian mercenary who served in the Russian military.
Recent social media posts suggest the list expanded in February to encompass 43 nations, adding Argentina, Iraq, Yemen, Cameroon, Colombia, Libya, and Somalia. This updated version was first published by Mustafa al-Yasari, an Iraqi blogger with over 130,000 followers, who cited an unnamed Russian officer as his source. However, iStories noted that the regional recruitment center did not confirm the expanded list and continues to recruit from countries like Colombia.
The reported restrictions follow a wave of formal demands from countries such as India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Jordan, all of which have urged Russia to stop recruiting their citizens for the war against Ukraine. Kenya, which features on the stop-lists, has also publicly urged Moscow to ban its citizens from enlisting. Kenyan officials estimate that more than 1,000 of their citizens have been recruited to fight for Russia, with at least 89 confirmed on the front lines as of February 2026.
The total number of foreign nationals fighting for Russia remains elusive. According to officials in Kyiv, Ukraine has identified at least 18,000 foreign nationals within Russia’s ranks and is currently holding prisoners of war from 37 different countries.
