Amnesty International: Calls for Oversight on Russian Recruitment of Zimbabweans

Amnesty International, in a report released on September 10, 2026, called on Russia to immediately cease abusive practices involving the recruitment of foreign nationals, including Zimbabweans, into its military forces through deceptive means. The report, titled “Russia: Trafficking of Foreign Nationals to Fight in Ukraine,” meticulously documents how individuals from low-income countries, as well as migrants and refugees already residing in Russia, are lured with deceptive civilian job offers before being coerced or misled into military service. Specifically, it highlights cases of Zimbabweans who travelled to Russia expecting civilian employment but subsequently found themselves facing military contracts and deployment to the frontline. Amnesty urges Russian authorities to dismantle state practices that facilitate this alleged trafficking and to investigate and prosecute cases involving officials from the Migration Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Defence.