Shafaq News- Moscow
More than 422,000 volunteers signed contracts with the RussianMinistry of Defense during 2025, Russian Security Council Deputy ChairmanDmitry Medvedev revealed on Friday, noting that he submitted a report on therecruitment results to President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking during a meeting on the performance of drone units,Medvedev said that 32,000 individuals voluntarily joined military service andcompleted the required contracts. He stated that “the task set by the SupremeCommander-in-Chief, President Vladimir Putin, to reinforce the army throughcontract service has been fully accomplished,” adding, “compulsory militaryservice for young people continues without deploying conscripts to combatoperations, in line with a special presidential decree.”
Medvedev did not specify the nationalities of the volunteers.However, videos circulating on social media platforms show young Iraqis wearingRussian military uniforms and raising the Iraqi flag on battlefronts.
The Iraqi government has said it does not possess officialdata on these volunteers. In September, the Iraqi parliament’s ForeignRelations Committee acknowledged to Shafaq News that Iraqi nationals arefighting alongside Russian forces in the war against Ukraine, vowing effortswithin Parliament to investigate the matter and curb the phenomenon.
Information obtained by Shafaq News indicates that networksfacilitating the travel of volunteers to Russia have been active throughintermediaries in southern Iraqi provinces since 2023. Informed sources toldour agency that attractive offers by some tourism companies in Baghdad andother provinces, marketed under the banner of European tourism, including tripsto Russia and Ukraine at affordable prices and sometimes throughinstallment-based payment plans, have contributed to drawing thousands of youngpeople to travel to both countries.
Several Iraqi fighters participating in the Russia–Ukrainewar on Moscow’s side have appealed for assistance to return to Iraq, but noofficial response has been issued.
Read more:The Desperate and the Damned: Why thousands of Iraqis are fighting in Ukraine
Shafaq News has previously published reports andinvestigations documenting Iraqi families losing contact with relatives whotraveled to fight alongside Russian forces since the outbreak of the war inFebruary 2022.
One of the most recent cases highlighted by Shafaq Newsinvolved the disappearance of 24-year-old Mohammed Imad. The agency met hismother, Zainab Jabbar, who lives in Al-Musayyib district, north of Babilprovince.
In a previous exclusive interview, Russian Ambassador toIraq Alperus Kotrashev stated that “thousands of Iraqis” are ready to join theRussian army if the opportunity is made available to them.
Under Russian law, any foreign national legally residing inRussia and proficient in the Russian language is entitled to sign an officialcontract with the Russian army, with monthly salaries ranging between $2,500and $3,000.
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