INTERNACIONAL
Russia built global recruitment pipeline targeting vulnerable migrants for Ukraine war: report
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Russia has built what human rights investigators describe as a global pipeline recruiting vulnerable foreign nationals into its war against Ukraine, drawing tens of thousands from more than 130 countries through what groups allege are coercive, deceptive and in some cases trafficking-like practices.
After suffering major battlefield losses and seeking to avoid another politically risky domestic mobilization, Moscow institutionalized a worldwide recruitment system targeting some of the world’s most vulnerable populations to sustain its war machine, a new report by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Truth Hounds and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights argues.
Russia has recruited at least 27,000 foreign nationals since February 2022 from countries across Central and South Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, according to the report. Ukrainian authorities cited in the report project that Russia could recruit another 18,500 foreign nationals in 2026 alone, which would mark the highest annual total since the full-scale invasion began.
AS WAR LOSSES NEAR 2 MILLION, RUSSIA ACCUSED OF TRAFFICKING FOREIGN RECRUITS FROM AFRICA, ASIA
Nationals of African countries sit in a section of a detention center holding foreign fighters captured while serving in the Russian army on the Ukrainian front in western Ukraine on Nov. 26, 2025. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
«This report highlights something fundamental: that the use of foreign fighters by Russia is neither a marginal nor a spontaneous phenomenon. Russia has built a global recruitment system that deliberately targets the most vulnerable populations — undocumented migrants, detainees, precarious workers, or even foreign students — across dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America,» said Alexis Deswaef, president of the International Federation for Human Rights.
«Many of these men knew in some capacity what they were signing up for. But some were also deceived or coerced. But in all cases, it is a State that has instrumentalised them as part of its war machine and sent them to the most dangerous positions on the frontline.»
The report’s central allegation is that Russia’s recruitment apparatus extends far beyond traditional mercenary networks and instead functions as a state-enabled global system that exploits poverty, legal vulnerability and migration insecurity.
Investigators say recruitment evolved from relying primarily on ideologically motivated volunteers early in the war to a broader institutionalized model by mid-2023, after Russia expanded legal eligibility for foreign nationals, eased language and residency requirements, and offered citizenship and financial incentives in exchange for service.
NORTH KOREAN LABORERS DESCRIBE BRUTAL FORCED LABOR IN RUSSIA: «WORKING LIKE A COW, EARNING NOTHING»
Nationals of African countries watch television in a detention center in western Ukraine holding foreign fighters captured while serving with Russian forces on the Ukrainian front on Nov. 26, 2025. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
In some cases, according to the report, migrants inside Russia were allegedly pressured to enlist through raids, detention threats, document confiscation, fabricated criminal charges and abuse. Outside Russia, recruits were often allegedly lured through promises of civilian jobs, noncombat positions or pathways to Europe, only to be routed into military contracts they often could not read.
Of 16 prisoners of war interviewed for the report, 13 said they were told they would not be required to fight, but were later deployed to frontline positions, often within weeks.
The report also alleges many foreign recruits were funneled into so-called «meat assaults» — high-risk frontal attacks associated with severe casualty rates. Ukrainian estimates cited in the report say at least 3,388 foreign fighters have been killed, with some estimates suggesting one in five recruits may not survive deployment.
HEGSETH WARNS RUSSIA AS SIGNS POINT TO MOSCOW SHARING INTEL WITH IRAN
A Russian service member stands next to a mobile recruitment center for military service under contract in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Sept. 17, 2022. (Sergey Pivovarov/Reuters)
«Despite the fact that many states are taking measures to curb recruitment, and although Russia claims it is no longer recruiting citizens from certain countries, the predatory recruitment continues. Ukrainian authorities predict that in 2026 Russia will engage more 18,500 foreign nationals, marking the highest annual figure since 2022,» said Maria Tomak, associated researcher and advocacy expert at Truth Hounds.
«This underscores the continued relevance of our report. Our primary objective remains clear: to halt recruitment and to compel Russia to repatriate those already recruited.»
The report stops short of claiming every foreign fighter was trafficked, noting some enlisted voluntarily for financial gain, but concludes there are reasonable grounds to believe at least some cases meet international definitions of trafficking in persons through deception, coercion and exploitation.
For investigators, the broader concern is that Russia’s war effort may now depend in part on a transnational manpower pipeline that weaponizes global inequality, drawing economically desperate men from around the world into one of Europe’s deadliest conflicts.
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Russian and Chechen soldiers in a devastated Mariupol neighborhood close to the Azovstal frontline. (Maximilian Clarke/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The report calls on governments, international organizations and Ukraine’s allies to crack down on recruitment networks, pressure Moscow diplomatically and push for repatriation of foreign nationals already caught in Russia’s military system.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and Russia’s Defense Ministry for comment but did not receive a response.
russia, conflicts, ukraine, russia investigation, human rights united nations, recruitment, wars
INTERNACIONAL
British Muslim police group called IDF a terrorist organization, questioned Hamas atrocity reports
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The National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP) is facing intense backlash after it was revealed that a policy paper it promoted contained what critics say are «antisemitic lies,» while also facing accusations that the organization is «infiltrated or controlled by Islamists.»
This latest embarrassment for British police authorities comes as the government continues to face criticism for alleged two-tier policing, especially when it comes to anti-Israel and pro-British protests.
The paper from the organization, titled «From Past Prejudices to Present Policies: Confronting Anti-Muslim Hatred and Promoting Human Rights,» was recently unearthed by The Spectator.
In it, then-NAMP Vice President Khaldoun Kabbani refers to Zionism as «a narrow, nationalist, and colonialist viewpoint that fosters anti-Muslim hatred, among other forms of xenophobia, distancing itself from the inclusive and compassionate teachings of Judaism.»
EVEN BEFORE GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL HATE CHANTS, UK JEWS WARNED OF ALARMING RISE IN ANTISEMITISM
People attend a rally organized by the Campaign Against Antisemitism opposite Downing Street in London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men in the Golders Green neighborhood. Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged increased security funding for Jewish sites and called for unity against antisemitism. (Carlos Jasso/AFP)
In addition to calling the IDF a Zionist terrorist group, the paper surmises that «eventually» the IDF’s actions following Oct. 7 «will be recognized as terrorism, though likely without any reference to the Jewish faith.» The report appeared to be deleted from the web, though it continues to be hosted online through an archive at the Wayback Machine.
Andrew Fox, senior associate fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that the paper is filled with «antisemitic lies and blood libels.»
An Israeli flag flutters at the memorial for victims of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack on the Supernova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im, Israel, on May 27, 2024. (Kobi Wolf/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kabbani’s paper calls for «dismantling myths through education,» but he presents unsourced facts about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.
In one segment, Kabbani notes that «as the hostilities commenced, reports in Israeli and Western media outlets began circulating alarming and unverified stories about acts of violence by Hamas, including claims of beheadings and assaults. These reports have significantly contributed to increasing hatred towards Islam.»
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Police arrest a demonstrator during a rally organised by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, opposite Downing Street in central London on April 30, 2026, following the stabbing of two Jewish men the day before in the Golders Green neighbourhood of north London. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed Thursday to boost security for the Jewish community following the latest attack against it, while urging Britons to unite against antisemitism. Facing accusations from angry British Jews that his government has repeatedly failed to protect them, Starmer pledged immediate increased funding for synagogues and other sites but insisted UK society must «come together» to «fight antisemitism». (CARLOS JASSO / AFP via Getty Images)
Dr. Chen Kugel, head of the National Center for Forensic Medicine in Israel, told the themedialine in Nov 2023 that many of the burned bodies of Oct. 7 victims, including those of babies, are «without heads.» He admitted it was «difficult to ascertain whether they were decapitated before or after death, as well as how they were beheaded.»
Kabbani also said that reports of 120 children being killed by Hamas «have been challenged by more recent disclosures indicating that not a single Israeli infant was a casualty during the said attacks. It was later confirmed that only one child’s death occurred two days following the attack, with circumstances involving IDF gunfire and lacking precise details.»
A Hamas terrorist fires a weapon into a house on a kibbutz during the attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces/AP)
I EXPOSED HAMAS LINKS IN BBC GAZA FILM: ‘WHEN THE MEDIA SPREAD LIES IT HAS CONSEQUENCES’
Contrary to its report, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has stated that at least 29 of the fatalities from Oct. 7 whose ages had been provided by Oct. 25 were children.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, Stephen Silverman, said in a public statement that the NAMP paper is «evidence that a major national policing association has been infiltrated by or is controlled by Islamists.» Silverman called for those «responsible for publishing this extremist screed» to be «immediately investigated by their respective forces’ professional standards departments and dismissed.»
Antisemitic hate was displayed at an anti-Israel protest in London amid record levels of antisemitism in the U.K. following the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7. (Campaign Against Antisemitism)
The National Police Chiefs’ Council did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about whether they were concerned by the NAMP’s paper, whether it would take action in reference to it, and whether its statements were problematic for public trust.
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Fox News Digital also received no response from NAMP or the British government.
Noting the «skyrocketing antisemitism» in the United Kingdom, Fox said that the NAMP’s policy paper is «grossly inappropriate.» He said that «whilst it is important that minority groups have dialogue with the police to ensure their issues are considered, divisive internal organizations, such as a group for Muslim officers, are clearly counterproductive to public trust. This practice should be clamped down on immediately and no police force should engage with this organization going forward.»
anti semitism, uk politics, islam, hamas
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Un giro inesperado en la campaña de drones de Ucrania está perjudicando seriamente a los rusos
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Emergency action seeks to prevent erasure of ‘mother’ and ‘father’ in code of largest US town
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Officials in America’s most populated township are taking urgent action to stop a Democrat-backed bill that would replace «mother» and «father» in New York State law with gender-neutral parental terms.
The emergency resolution from Hempstead Township comes just days after New York State Legislature passed a bill that would replace «mother» with the term «gestating parent» and «father» with «non-gestating parent.» It would also change «paternity» to «parentage.»
Democrats say the measure is an effort to be more «inclusive» of the state’s residents with non-traditional «gender identities.» It is now awaiting action from Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul.
Hempstead Township Supervisor John Ferretti told Fox News Digital the legislation is «woke nonsense.»
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stands with Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti, Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena, and other local officials to provide a public safety update and share tips with residents ahead of an approaching winter storm on Jan. 23, 2026 in Mineola, New York. (Howard Schnapp / Newsday RM via Getty Images)
«As a father of two, it was an insult to me and to my wife,» Ferretti said in an interview on Tuesday. «As soon as I learned, the first thing I did was bring my wife into our bedroom and say, ‘Look what they did up in Albany. They’re eliminating the terms mother and father from state law.’»
His nine-year-old daughter overheard the conversation and got upset, asking Ferretti: «Can I still call you dad?»
BILL REPLACING ‘MOTHER’ AND ‘FATHER’ WITH GENDER-NEUTRAL TERMS PASSES IN NEW YORK, HEADS TO HOCHUL’S DESK
«It really hit close to home,» he continued. «We need to take a stand in the Town of Hempstead, the largest township in America, and make sure that we make it clear not just to residents in the Town of Hempstead, but to residents throughout New York State, that we won’t stand for this kind of woke nonsense.»
While the 2026 legislative session ended last week, Hochul has until the end of the year to sign the bill into law. Hochul told reporters last week that she had not yet reviewed the proposal.
«I have until the end of the year to review them and make a decision, so I won’t be commenting on pending legislation,» Hochul said during a news conference, according to FOX 5 New York.
Ferretti said he hopes Hochul ultimately rejects the bill, but said she’ll wait to act until after the election «because she’s not brave enough to take a stand.»
He said that the emergency resolution in Hempstead is intended to ensure the town continues recognizing the terms «mother» and «father» in its own laws and policies, regardless of whether the state measure ultimately becomes law.
LONG ISLAND COUNTY EXECUTIVE VOWS TO ‘PROTECT’ WOMEN’S SPORTS AFTER APPEALS COURT HALTS TRANS ATHLETE BAN
Hempstead Township supervisor John Ferretti is slamming the New York legislature for «erasing» mother and father from the state’s legal code. (John Ferretti)
«We’re taking a stand because we will not allow woke Democrat liberals in New York State and the New York State Legislature to erase the traditional family,» Ferretti said. «They did not pass a law that adds language. They passed a law that erases mother and father from certain statutes under New York state law, and that’s completely unacceptable.»
«If Albany wanted to add additional language to their state laws, they could have added additional language, and we would not be discussing this right now,» Ferretti continued. «Instead, they chose to erase mother and father and replace it, and we won’t stand for that.»
Ferretti said the resolution has garnered support from Republican lawmakers representing Nassau County, including Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra, state Sen. Steve Rhoads, Assemblywoman Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and other members of the county’s Republican legislative delegation.
GOP LAWMAKERS, RILEY GAINES SLAM DEMOCRATS FOR VOTING AGAINST PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN SPORTS ACT
Republican gubernatorial candidate and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman also blasted the proposal on social media.
«In Kathy Hochul’s New York, ‘mom’ is now defined as ‘gestating parent,’» Blakeman wrote. «Not when I’m Governor! I’ll stand up for moms and dads against this insanity.»
The fight marks the latest cultural flashpoint involving Hempstead, a Republican-led township of roughly 800,000 residents located on Long Island and within Nassau County. Hempstead officials previously backed measures include a push to keep biological males from competing in girls’ and women’s sports athletic facilities operated by Hempstead Township.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman announced an executive order banning transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports at county facilities in Mineola, N.Y., on March 18, 2024. (Adam Gray/Reuters)
Conservative groups are also mobilizing against the parental-language bill.
«It’s just absurd, but also inherently dehumanizing,» Maggie McKneely with Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee told Fox News Digital.
«It reduces women to just their reproductive organs, but women are so much more than that. They are individuals with unique abilities and capabilities, and yes, motherhood is one of the greatest things that a woman can be. Being a mother is an incredible gift,» McKneely continued.
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«Women do so much more than that, and to reduce them to just whether or not they are capable of gestating a child is really sad and dehumanizing. To reduce men to being just non-gestating people is just really sad.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Hochul’s office for comment.
new york, parents, bills, republicans, kathy hochul, politics
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