According to Canada’s Global News, the Russian recruitment efforts are being made through intermediaries in Iran, and some former soldiers have already gone to Ukraine to fight for Russia.
Trained by the US and allies, former Afghanistan army soldiers who have been recruited are highly skilled and experienced fighters.
However, after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, many of the former soldiers fled to neighbouring countries, including Iran.
The Russian government, Global News says, is offering the soldiers a monthly salary of $1,500 and a Russian passport if they agree to fight in Ukraine. The Russian government is also promising to protect their families from the Taliban.
Living in Iran illegally and fearing deportation, a former soldier who has been willing to take the Russian offer, told Global News that “It’s better for me to go to Ukraine and fight for the benefit of Russia than for my family to starve,” adding that “If I fall into the hands of the Iranian regime, they will deport me to Afghanistan where the Taliban will kill me.
The Taliban has been accused of killing dozens of former army officers across Afghanistan.
Another former soldier taking up the Russian offer said “The situation in Iran is harsh, we can’t work”. “NATO has left us alone.” He complained.
Some recruits, according the Global News, have already been fighting in Ukraine.
It has already been reported that former Afghan soldiers have been fighting for the Wagner mercenary force in Ukraine.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, Russia has been recruiting central Asian migrant workers since the beginning of the war.
