How many foreign nationals have been captured fighting for Russia and which countries do they come from?
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Executive summary
Ukraine reports it has identified more than 18,000 foreign nationals attached to Russian forces during the war and holds prisoners from 37 countries, but independent verification of the full tally is limited and specific captured counts by nationality are often fragmentary [1]. Reporting across outlets and investigative projects documents captured fighters from a wide range of countries — including China, Nepal, India, Togo, multiple African states, North Korea and others — while estimations of recruits vary widely between outlets [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. The headline numbers: Kyiv’s claim and what it covers
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters, cited by Kyiv-based reporting, stated that Kyiv has identified more than 18,000 foreign nationals attached to Russian forces since the invasion began and that about 3,388 of those have been killed, while Ukrainian authorities hold prisoners from 37 countries — figures presented by Brig. Gen. Dmytro Usov at a conference and summarized in reporting [1]. These numbers are Kyiv’s accounting of foreign personnel “attached” to Russian forces — a category that, according to the same source, includes both those actively fighting and those still enlisted or otherwise affiliated — and should be read as Kyiv’s operational inventory rather than an independently audited global manifest [1].
2. Confirmed captures reported publicly: scattered examples across continents
Independent and international outlets have reported discrete capture events: Ukrainian authorities publicly announced the capture of two Chinese nationals in April 2025, although Reuters noted it could not independently verify the claim and China denied state involvement [2] [3]. Local reporting and open-source investigations have documented individual captures or detentions of Togolese nationals (two reported by Kyiv Independent), Egyptians and other Africans interviewed after capture, and captures of recruits from Southeast Asia and Central Asia noted by investigative outlets and NGOs [4] [5] [8].
3. Broader patterns: investigative projects and leaked data
Independent investigations and leaked Russian databases have suggested larger pools of foreign mercenaries: Important Stories and other outlets identified over 1,500 foreign mercenaries from roughly 48 countries in a 2025 probe, and reporting has repeatedly flagged big contingents from Nepal, Sri Lanka, China and Central Asian states as prominent among recruits [6]. Kyiv’s overall figure of 18,000-plus foreign nationals attached to Russian forces, cited by Defense Post coverage of Kyiv’s statements, indicates a much larger phenomenon than single-event reporting and signals recruitment efforts spanning 128 countries and territories according to Ukrainian statements [1].
4. Notable nationalities and contentious tallies
Beyond the country-specific captures already noted, multiple sources say Russia has recruited from Africa (Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Uganda and Egypt among those named in interviews), from North Korea and from countries in South and Southeast Asia, while some Western analyses and leaked diplomatic reporting pointed to substantial Cuban and Nepalese contingents as well — the Atlantic Council and PBS compiled such country-level allegations and interviews [5] [7] [6]. These country attributions appear across Ukrainian officials’ claims, investigative media leaks and interviews with captured fighters; however, the scale attributed to any single nationality differs by source and sometimes relies on Russian-era recruitment records or U.S. diplomatic cables rather than battlefield counts [7] [6].
5. Verification limits, motives and what to trust
Public tallies are uneven because capture announcements are episodic, leaked databases are partial, and Kyiv’s aggregate figures are politically salient and thus subject to both evidentiary gaps and strategic messaging; Reuters explicitly noted it could not independently verify the Chinese-capture claim cited by Ukrainian officials, illustrating that single claims need corroboration [2]. Independent outlets (Important Stories, iStories) and international think tanks provide cross-checks and broader patterning, but no single open-source dataset yet offers a fully auditable, country-by-country captured count; consequently, Ukraine’s headline of 18,000 foreign personnel attached to Russian forces and prisoners from 37 countries remains the most comprehensive official figure available in public reporting while also requiring cautious interpretation [1] [6].