Wagner Mercenary, a Russian group has reportedly been recruiting prisoners and migrants to fight in Ukraine, but due to growing causalities and extrajudicial executions, it’s hard to find volunteers, even among inmates.
Many inmates and migrant workers from Central Asian countries find themselves vulnerable, as the situation left them concerned that they may be coerced into going to war.
According to BBC’s Report
In 2018, Anuar traveled to Russia in search of employment but was arrested and imprisoned for drug trafficking. He was sent to serve his sentence at Penal Colony Number Six in Vladimir region. For safety reasons BBC was not disclosing Anuar’s real name.
In an interview with BBC, Anuar’s father told that in late January, Anuar revealed that a group of Central Asians, including Uzbeks, Tajiks, and Kyrgyz, were sent to fight in Ukraine against their will. Now Anuar is concerned that he will also be forced to go if another group is sent. The BBC has reviewed court documents and Anuar’s letters, which confirm that he is serving his sentence in the prison. His story of being forced to go to war has also been confirmed by Olga Romanova, director of civil rights organization. Parents of those prisoners sought her help.
Ms. Romanova said, “They were not given a choice. They were told to sign the contract and were sent to the front line like a bag of potatoes,”
At first, the parents were prepared to take legal action to prevent their children from being sent to Ukraine, but they ultimately decided against it due to fears of the potential punishment their children could face if they stayed in the prison, according to Olga Romanova, the director of Russia Behind Bars.
Anuar is notorious for its mistreatment of inmates, including frequent physical abuse. Romanova has referred to it as “a torture prison”.
The administration of Penal Colony Number Six has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.
As the recruitment process by the Wagner group had been highly successful, but their heavy loss in battlefield have led to changes. Farukh, a citizen of Uzbekistan who is currently incarcerated in Russia’s Rostov region, told BBC Uzbek that several of his fellow inmates had joined Wagner. At first, it was voluntary, but now Farukh is concerned that prisoners may be forced to participate in the conflict.
Faruk said,” In the beginning I also considered going because everyone thought that Russia was more powerful, that Russia would win-may be in a month, three month or in a year. But now situations changed many people are dying there and if there are short of soldiers then it’s not good”. He further added, “f they tell me to go and I refuse, then they can declare that I am against Russia.”
In addition to prison recruitment, Central Asian citizens are also recruited for Russia’s military in other ways. According to the latest statistics from the Russian Interior Ministry, there are approximately 10.5 million migrants from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan working in Russia, representing a significant pool of potential military recruits.
At the migration center in Moscow, Russian authorities openly recruit individuals to join the armed forces. Advertisements in Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and Tajik languages offer citizens of these countries a fast track to acquiring Russian passport in exchange for military service.
According to Valentina Chupik, a migrant rights defender, police officers have been known to stop Central Asian migrants on the streets and pressure them into signing military contracts by threatening deportation if they refuse.
Many labor migrants lack proper work permits, residing at an address that is different from their registered address, or violating other migration rules, making them vulnerable to recruiters.
Aziz, whose real name has been withheld, is a dual citizen of Russia and Tajikistan told BCC that he was detained during a police raid at the construction site where he works and would have been taken to police station to verify his identification. But instead of police station he was taken to military enlistment office, and when he protested and ask them the reason why he had been there, police officers twisted his arms and throw him back into the bus.
However, Aziz was later released. Nevertheless, many migrants in Russia are too afraid to object when law enforcement officers force them to sign up for the war.