


Trapped at the Front: Foreign Soldiers' Struggle in the Russian Army
Trapped at the Front Foreign Soldiers Struggle in the RussiaNepalese Slaves to suport Families, They Had Become Cannon Fodder. Jorge is in Kursk. He is one of thousands of foreigners who have signed a one-year contract with the Russian army in exchange for a big salary and a fast track to Russian citizenship. But the deal comes with a catch. “They won’t let us leave,” says Manuel, who, like other foreign recruits, had his passport confiscated before being sent to the front. Politico interviewed four Cubans fighting for Russia, all under pseudonyms, as well as family members of five others. The stories are consistent. And without papers, the situation is hopeless. “They are in the hands of the (Russian) Defense Ministry,” says Ivan Chuviliajev of the legal organization Idite Lesom, which helps Russians flee the front. According to Ukraine, the number of foreign soldiers in the Russian army is growing by the day. They come mostly from poorer countries: Cuba, Nepal, Ghana, Syria, India, Sri Lanka, Somalia. For Russia, whose forces are exhausted after almost three years of war, they are indispensable. But the foreigners also serve another purpose: they are poster boys for “international solidarity” and the idea that Russia is leading a broad coalition of countries fighting against US and NATO dominance. Few of those who have survived seem to have chosen to fight for ideological reasons. Instead, it is about money: a chance to escape poverty and create a better life for themselves and their families. Some say they did not understand the terms. “There were no jobs in Nepal. We didn’t understand that we would be sent to the front lines so quickly and how dire the situation was,” Ramchandra Khadka, one of perhaps thousands of Nepalese recruited by Russia, told CNN last year. . A Sierra Leonean man named Richard tells The Insider that he went to Russia to fulfill his daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor. Once there, he was asked to sign a contract. “Nobody asked me if I wanted to join the army or not. The papers were in Russian, and I didn’t understand what they were saying. All they needed was my signature.” César from Cuba was 19 when he spoke to Politico in September 2023. He was about to fly to Moscow. In Cuba, ruled by an authoritarian regime under extensive US sanctions, his salary barely covered milk and toilet paper. "Here, you can be a nuclear physicist and still starve," he said. "If this is the sacrifice I have to make for my family to have a good life, then I will do it."
Övriga genrer
(Översättning)
av
Jeflea Norma, Diana.
![]() Läst 35 gånger Publicerad 2025-01-18 13:18 ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() Jeflea Norma, Diana. ![]()
Senast publicerade
Putinifiering eller Trumpification konstigt på en gång. Om Putin delar Ukraina med Trumps stöd Rumänien blir offer. We bring hygge to Hollywood Make California Danish. Korpen i Finland kväkar. Fruktansvärd Mr Trump om Gasa Resorts drömmar. Ursäkta för de nya tiderna och vädret. Etiketter: Österrike, bedrägeri, häxa, Politiker, statsöverhuvuden med en stjärna i pannan! ![]() |