As the war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, the central challenge facing both Moscow and Kyiv is no longer territory alone. It is manpower.

Both Russia and Ukraine face a growing manpower crisis. Western estimates put Ukrainian military casualties at roughly 500,000 to 600,000 since 2022, including more than 100,000 killed, while Russia is believed to have suffered about 1.2 million casualties. Combined battlefield casualties on both sides may now be approaching two million, according to recent analyses.

Now, in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, the Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds said Russia is increasingly turning to vulnerable foreign nationals, including recruits from Africa and Asia, through coercive and deceptive recruitment practices that in some cases may amount to human trafficking.

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«The patterns of recruitment in different countries and regions are quite similar,» Truth Hounds said. «Two main categories for foreign fighters could be defined. First, persons who were already in Russia, such as students and migrant workers. Second, those who were recruited in their countries of origin.»

According to the organization, many recruits were promised civilian jobs with substantially higher salaries than in their home countries but were later compelled to sign military contracts written in Russian without translation.

«In many of these cases — both when recruitment happens outside and inside Russia — there are plenty of facts indicating potential human trafficking,» the group said.

Truth Hounds said it documented cases in which individuals detained inside Russia were beaten, tortured or otherwise coerced into signing military contracts.

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Nationals of African countries sit in a dedicated section where foreign fighters captured while serving with Russian forces in Ukraine are held at a detention center for Russian prisoners of war in western Ukraine on Nov. 26, 2025. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many reports have emerged of African nationals fighting alongside Moscow’s forces, with some accusing the Russian military of using deceptive tactics to recruit them. In November 2025, Kyiv said it had identified 1,426 fighters from 36 African countries serving in the Russian army. (Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images)

«Under such circumstances, it is difficult to characterize their enlistment in the Russian army as voluntary. Rather, these cases involve coercion into military service and exploitation — patterns that are consistent across documented cases globally, when it comes to Russian recruitment practices,» the organization said.

The group cited figures from Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War indicating that more than 18,000 foreigners had joined the Russian army as of late last year, with the number continuing to grow. Truth Hounds said its interviews with foreign prisoners of war, including several from African states, revealed similar recruitment patterns.

A soldier from a Ukrainian 2S22 Bohdana 155 mm self-propelled howitzer crew of the Striletskyi special forces police battalion of the National Police in the Zaporizhzhia region walks along a trench at a position in the Pokrovsky direction in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Jan. 23, 2026. (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/Nur Photo via Getty Images)

According to a report published by INPACT in February 2026, nearly 1,500 Africans were enlisted between 2023 and mid-2025, 316 of whom died because of a few kilometers of snow in Ukraine, a loss rate of 22%. Many others are missing or cannot be reached by their families.

At the same time, the organization cautioned that not all foreign recruits were forced to serve, noting that some joined with a full understanding of the purpose of their travel to Russia and the terms of the contract, though the proportion remains unclear.

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Nationals of African countries watch TV in a dedicated section where foreign fighters captured while serving with Russian forces in Ukraine are held at a detention center for Russian prisoners of war in western Ukraine on Nov. 26, 2025. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, many reports have emerged of African nationals fighting alongside Moscow’s forces, with some accusing the Russian military of using deceptive tactics to recruit them. In November 2025, Kyiv said it had identified 1,426 fighters from 36 African countries serving in the Russian army. (Photo by Genya Savilov / AFP via Getty Images)

The allegations come as African leaders have begun publicly raising the issue. Kenya’s foreign minister said Nairobi would confront Russian authorities over the recruitment of Kenyan nationals, while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa raised concerns with Russian President Vladimir Putin following distress calls from South African citizens believed to be caught in the conflict, according to Reuters.

Truth Hounds said the legal status of foreign fighters presents a complex overlap between international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Individuals who sign contracts with Russia’s Ministry of Defense are treated as members of the armed forces and are entitled to prisoner-of-war protections, though some cases may also meet the criteria for human trafficking, creating additional legal questions.

«The main question remains how to effectively stop Russia from recruiting such individuals and hold it accountable for the ruined lives of those who have already ended up there,» the organization said.

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Cadets of a military academy cover the coffin with flags during the funeral of Dmitry Menshikov, a mercenary for the private Russian military company Wagner Group, killed during the military conflict in Ukraine, in the Alley of Heroes at a cemetery in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 24, 2022. (Igor Russak/Reuters)

Moscow has previously said foreign nationals may voluntarily enlist in its armed forces. It has not publicly acknowledged coercive recruitment practices.

As the war grinds on, the battle for manpower is stretching beyond Europe’s borders, pulling in vulnerable populations from Africa and Asia and raising new diplomatic and legal challenges for governments far from the front lines.

La oposición venezolana y organismos de derechos humanos cuestionaron el alcance de la ley de amnistía aprobada el jueves por la Asamblea Nacional y consideraron que la norma dejaría afuera a numerosos presos políticos y exiliados, entre ellos a María Corina Machado.

“Tengo que esperar a tener el texto definitivo. Pero es sumamente excluyente”, dijo a TN el activista Gonzalo Hmiob, vicepresidente de la ONG Foro Penal.

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La amnistía podría beneficiar a cientos de presos políticos detenidos en cárceles de todo el país, pero al mismo tiempo podría excluir a opositores como la exiliada premio Nobel de la Paz y a militares condenados.

Uno de sus artículos más cuestionados es precisamente el que excluye “a las personas que se encuentren o puedan ser procesadas o condenadas por promover, instigar, solicitar, invocar, favorecer, facilitar, financiar o participar en acciones armadas o de fuerza contra el pueblo, la soberanía y la integridad territorial de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela por parte de Estados, corporaciones o personas extranjeras”.

Esa fue una de las acusaciones habituales contra la líder opositora y otros dirigentes como Leopoldo López, también en el exilio.

“Advertimos que la ley contempla un injustificable exceso de exclusiones, que no la exigen ni la Constitución ni los instrumentos internacionales. Esto, sin duda, no se corresponde con el espíritu de paz y reconciliación que debería tener una norma de esta naturaleza”, dijo a TN el activista Oscar Murillo, secretario general del Programa Venezolano de Educación Acción en Derechos Humanos (PROVEA).

No está claro tampoco si la amnistía beneficiará a los argentinos Nahuel Gallo, acusado tras su arresto de planear el asesinato de Delcy Rodríguez, y de Germán Giuliani, vinculado a una causa de narcotráfico (un delito que está excluido de la norma), según la versión oficial y que sus familias y el gobierno argentino niegan.

Las liberaciones de más de 600 presos políticos que el Foro Penal estima que aún siguen detenidos podrían concretarse después que la presidenta encargada promulgue la ley, posiblemente este mismo viernes.

“Un paso”

El analista venezolano Andrés Cañizalez, investigador de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello de Caracas, dijo a TN que la aprobación de la amnistía marca “un paso” hacia adelante.

“No es el paso que quisiera la sociedad democrática nin las ONG de derechos humanos. Es un paso para aliviar un gran sufrimiento que hay en Venezuela”, afirmó.

Pero la dirigencia opositora cuestionó varios artículos, en especial las exclusiones de la ley.

“Es una situación que crea muchísima incertidumbre. Hay que seguir insistiendo y continuar la resistencia que es algo absolutamente pacífico y a lo que ellos no están acostumbrados”, dijo a TN la exprecandidata presidencial Corina Yoris, muy cercana a Machado.

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Además, la dirigente opositora dijo que “no se cumplen los estándares de una ley de amnistía” y afirmó que ”no contempla la reparación de las víctimas».

“La ley de amnistía tendría que acogerse a la justicia transicional como establecen los estándares de la ONU. Son muy graves las omisiones de la ley y el deseo de pasar ´agachado´ y meter la manera de perdonar los crímenes que ellos han cometido. Es muy fuerte», afirmó.

Qué dicen los organismos de derechos humanos

Antonio González Plessmann, co-director del grupo defensor de derechos humanos Surgentes, dijo a TN que esta “es una mala ley, porque deja a muchas personas por fuera, pero sirve para mitigar daños y avanzar”.

Según afirmó, “la ley señala de manera taxativa un conjunto de hechos que son insuficientes para proteger centenares de casos de personas judicializadas por razones políticas”.

Entre estos puntos, mencionó detenciones por reclamar derechos laborales, expresar críticas, denunciar hechos de corrupción y luchar por los derechos de los campesinos.

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“Mención aparte merecen los funcionarios militares acusados de cometer delitos militares, que fueron explícitamente excluidos”, apuntó.

Además, señaló: “La Ley crea una Comisión de seguimiento (sin participación social) que tendrá la potestad de sugerir casos no previstos que puedan ser amnistiados, generando con ello alta discrecionalidad”.

Para el activista, “la inmensa mayoría de las personas amnistiadas no cometieron ningún delito”. Por ello, dijo que era necesario “un texto que señalara que ser beneficiario de la amnistía no implica el reconocimiento de ningún delito o falta; ni inhibe la posibilidad de exigir una reparación integral por la violación a sus derechos humanos en el marco de los procesos de judicialización, detención o sanciones administrativas que sufrieron”.

“Aún con todo estos defectos, la Ley sirve para extinguir la acción penal en cientos de casos”, indicó.

Oscar Murillo, de PROVEA, aseguró: “Antes y ahora con esta ley, vamos a seguir exigiendo la liberación plena, incondicional e inmediata de todas las personas privadas arbitrariamente de libertad por razones políticas”.

“Asimismo, planteamos que deben abordarse con carácter de urgencia temas como la derogación o declaratoria de nulidad de leyes o normas utilizadas para la criminalización”, en implícita alusión a la llamada Ley del Odio que el chavismo prometió reformular, concluyó.

For weeks, the U.S. military has quietly amassed what President Donald Trump has described as an «armada» in Iran’s backyard. Mapped out across the Persian Gulf and beyond, the deployment tells its own story — one of calculated pressure backed by credible capability.

The latest signal of escalation is the movement of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the U.S. Navy’s USS Gerald R. Ford, and its strike group from the Caribbean toward the Middle East.

The buildup coincides with indirect negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Trump has warned that the regime must fully dismantle its nuclear infrastructure — or face consequences.

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At the heart of America’s force projection is another carrier strike group: the USS Abraham Lincoln — a mobile fortress at sea, guarded by destroyers and equipped to unleash precision strikes at a moment’s notice. On deck, F-35 fighters and F/A-18 attack aircraft sit within range of dozens of key Iranian military and nuclear targets.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Mediterranean, the destroyers USS Bulkeley and USS Roosevelt provide additional strike capability and missile defense coverage — and could potentially assist Israel in defending against any Iranian counterattack.

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Farther south, in the Red Sea, the USS Delbert B. Black adds another layer of firepower along one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The Red Sea links the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal, a corridor that carries a significant share of global trade and energy supplies. 

A U.S. destroyer there not only protects commercial traffic but also gives Washington the flexibility to respond quickly to threats moving between the Middle East and Europe.

Even closer to Iran’s coastline, in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the USS McFaul and USS Mitscher are operating in one of the most strategically sensitive waterways on the planet. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz each day. Their presence signals that the U.S. can both defend that vital choke point and, if necessary, strike Iranian targets from close range.

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Alongside the warships in the region are advanced aircraft such as the F-35 fighter, a jet designed to slip past air defenses and hit targets with precision. (Cpl. Isaac Cantrell/U.S. Marine Corps)

Beyond naval forces, U.S. air power is spread across multiple Middle Eastern bases, giving commanders the ability to strike, defend and sustain operations quickly.

Several types of combat aircraft are operating from regional bases, including F-15s, F-16s and the radar-evading F-35. The A-10 specializes in close-air support missions against armored threats.

Those fighters are backed by a network of support aircraft. KC-135 and KC-46 tankers refuel jets midair, allowing them to fly farther and stay aloft longer. EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft can jam enemy radar and communications. E-3 Sentry aircraft serve as airborne command centers, tracking threats across wide areas. P-8 Poseidon planes patrol and monitor maritime activity.

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Additionally, heavy transports — including C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster aircraft — move troops and equipment, while MQ-9 Reaper drones provide surveillance and can carry precision weapons. The assets give U.S. commanders flexibility to operate across air, sea and land.

Taken together, the air and naval deployments create overlapping strike capability, missile defense coverage and control over major maritime routes. For Iran, it means U.S. forces are not concentrated in a single vulnerable location — they are distributed, layered and positioned to operate from multiple directions at once.