Russia has sent 10,000 migrants to fight in Ukraine

Alexander Bastrykin, head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, made significant statements regarding the war in Ukraine at a legal forum held in St. Petersburg. Stating that more than 30,000 people who had obtained citizenship but did not want to register for the military had been identified, Bastrykin noted that approximately 10,000 of them had been sent to the "special military operation" zone, while those who did not want to register had left the country.

Bastrykin stated that the migrants sent to Ukraine are digging trenches and building fortifications in the war zone, noting that they are not assigned to combat missions. Stating that 3 million migrants arrived in Moscow and St. Petersburg alone in the first 4 months of the year, Bastrykin called for stricter rules to be implemented to limit these numbers.

Russia is accused of pressuring Central Asian migrants to join the army. Male migrants who obtain Russian citizenship are required to register with the Russian army under the country's laws and can be called up to the military during mobilization.