Russia brings in significantly more foreign fighters than Ukraine. What should be done?
According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Russia plans to recruit 18.5 thousand foreigners into its army in 2026. This is a significant figure — 50% of the monthly mobilization target across Russia, and such a number of people is sufficient for 185 full-strength assault companies.
What this indicates:
1. Russia is looking for additional manpower to continue a sustained infantry offensive in 2026 and 2027.
2. The enemy has allocated substantial financial and organisational resources to bring in fighters from abroad. Ukrainian captivity currently holds citizens of 48 countries, and the number of foreigners in the occupation army is growing noticeably every month.
3. The enemy is attempting to avoid forced mobilization patterned after 2022 in order to preserve taxpayers and the labor force for its economy and to avoid a socio-political crisis; that is, the enemy plans to continue the war in the coming years.
And what about Ukraine?
As of July 1, 2026, Ukraine will have systematically brought in up to 1,300 fighters — this will be the result of the first six months.
Some 60% of those already brought in so far have arrived thanks to private funding from several Ukrainian volunteers.
To give credit where it is due, the state has gotten involved in the effort; two Territorial Centres of Recruitment (TCR) authorized to work with foreigners are operating.
However, obviously, at this pace, even if the results of the first two months are doubled, we will bring in six times fewer fighters in 2026 than Russia has planned.
At this moment, in the "Khartiia" corps alone, there are nearly 2,000 applications from foreign fighters ready to arrive in Ukraine immediately, whose transfer needs to be paid for.
We have every capability to bring in no fewer foreign fighters than Russia has planned. Moreover, the quality of the people we bring in is significantly higher.
All leaders support this issue; Minister of Defense M. Fedorov and Minister of Internal Affairs I. Klymenko are personally overseeing the matter.
But in order not to fall behind Russia, the issue of bringing in foreign fighters must become a focus of attention and prompt, coordinated decisions by the country’s entire senior leadership.
Can we bring in as many foreign fighters as Russia, or even more than Russia?
Yes. Because it is significantly more advantageous for us to bring in volunteers than to catch taxpayers on the streets.
What needs to be done?
1. First, money; second, procedures for using it; and third, improvements to disciplinary rules and contract terms for foreigners brought in through organised channels.
2. Far more state funding is needed. And such spending requires certain difficult state procedures and approvals at several levels, which is where complications arise.
3. Private funding or money from volunteer foundations could be the best option for quickly increasing the pace of arrivals. I have paid to bring in around a hundred foreign fighters through a foundation, thanks to donations from concerned Ukrainians. But again, how much can be raised for a foundation through social media? Here, too, the state needs to take the initiative, in the manner of the United24 fund, which at one time became the driver behind scaling up drone production.
4. Partial funding through foundations will be needed even if procurement of transfers using state budget funds is opened. Additional spending is needed to keep the recruitment system running. I will not spell out the details, but without high-quality recruitment, bringing them in on a mass scale will not work.
5. Simultaneously, changes are needed in the contract conditions and terms of service, as well as in the payment procedures for those foreigners who are brought in systematically, in order to improve discipline and accountability.
6. Such a key issue as bringing foreigners to the front must receive rapid additional support from the state. This problem should unite the entire state and all senior officials, regardless of the relationships between them.
For Ukraine, attracting foreigners is not merely a matter of conducting combat operations and stopping the Russian offensive. It is a matter of the physical survival of the Ukrainian nation.
