A one-way visa: Russia’s regional governments are recruiting Arab mercenaries to fight in Ukraine

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From farmer to mercenary

In his home country of Syria, Wahid Mursal al-Shibli was a simple farmer. Like several others from the Suwayda province, Wahid responded to an ad promising good pay in Russia, along with fast-tracked Russian citizenship. After being invited to a private chat, he submitted his documents and soon received a visa for a “business trip” to one of Russia’s regions.

Only upon arrival in Russia did Wahid learn he was being sent to the front lines in the Luhansk Region. Though he agreed to fight, within months he recorded a harrowing voice message to his family in Syria, describing the horrors of combat and his desire to return home. The message drew significant attention in local Syrian media. Officials from the Suwayda province even tried to negotiate Wahid’s return with the Russian embassy in Damascus, but to no avail. At least seven other Suwayda residents who had gone to war alongside Wahid also expressed a desire to come back. In September 2024, Wahid was killed in a “meat grinder assault.” His family is not entitled to any compensation from Russian authorities.

How the recruitment system operates

As The Insider discovered, the recruitment of Arab mercenaries is carried out by a well-organized network of personnel from Russia’s migration service, officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry, and municipal leaders from Russian border regions. Their collective mission is to ensure a steady flow of fighters from countries like Syria and Yemen — nations facing severe economic and political turmoil. For the impoverished recruits, the promise of decent pay and the prospect of legal residency in Russia is compelling.

Contacts between prospective mercenaries and recruiters are established through Telegram and WhatsApp channels. The largest recruitment channel is called “Drug Rossii” (lit. “Friend of Russia”). Key figures behind this and similar platforms are listed in Ukraine’s Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) project. They include Russians Polina Azarnykh and Sergey Merzlyakov, along with a Syrian national residing in Russia, Abid Khalid Sharif Abid. Mercenaries are promised Russian citizenship (typically granted upon signing a contract with the Ministry of Defense) and a salary of no less than €2,000 per month.

Once contact is established, potential recruits are asked to send scanned copies of their passports and other documents. Lists of the recruited individuals are then sent to Russian officials in the country’s border regions, who are responsible for providing administrative support for visa processing and the deployment of mercenaries to the battlefield.

The Insider obtained letters addressed to Ruslan Markov, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s consular division, signed by district administrators in Bryansk Oblast. These letters confirm Russian officials’ intent to invite Syrians “who have expressed a voluntary desire to serve in the special military operation zone,” and offer assistance in signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense.

Russian officials who sent letters of this sort include: Anatoly Poddubny, head of Zlynka District; Pavel Valyaev, head of Dyatkovo District; Igor Obydennov, head of Trubchevsk District; Alexander Isaev, head of Klimovo District; Sergey Evteev, mayor of Klintsy; Alexander Grek, head of Novozybkov; and Nikolay Goluboky, deputy mayor of Bryansk and commander of the local volunteer unit BARS.

Ruslan Markov appears to coordinate the operation from the Foreign Ministry’s side. The letters from municipal leaders help him legally facilitate invitations and approve “business” visas. Markov previously worked in the Ministry's currency and finance department, and later in its administrative division. Information about Markov obtained by The Insider suggests possible links to Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

Technically, the Foreign Ministry no longer issues the invitations — that task falls to the Interior Ministry. But Markov still likely oversees the process. Most invitations have reportedly been issued by the migration office of the Bryansk Oblast branch of the Interior Ministry, with visa categories and stated purposes typically listed as “business.”

Electronic invitations to Russia are sent from the Interior Ministry email address [email protected] to local Bryansk officials, who then forward them to recruiters, who in turn pass them on to the new recruits. In this way, the use of “business” visas serves as a cover: migration services and local authorities work together to enable the entry of foreigners who later sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The Russian side remains highly reluctant to admit that it is using foreign fighters at the front. However, the evidence reveals a well-oiled mercenary recruitment mechanism organized and operated by the Russian state.