Russia is reportedly looking to bolster its armed forces by offering foreigners citizenship in exchange for enlistment.
Foreigners waiting in line for Russian citizenship are being given a chance to cut to the front if they volunteer to join the country’s war against Ukraine, Ukraine’s General Staff of the Armed Forces reported late Monday. Voluntarily joining the army will reportedly confer automatic citizenship to foreigners in the country, the General Staff said.
⚡️ General Staff: Russia offers citizenship to foreigners in exchange for enlisting in army.
Russian authorities have been offering foreigners in Russia Russian citizenship in exchange for enlisting in the country’s armed forces, the General Staff reported on Jan. 16.
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 16, 2023
It was only two months ago on Nov. 14 that Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order allowing foreigners to join Russia’s armed forces at all, which had previously been prohibited.
Exact casualty numbers aren’t known, but Russian forces are suspected to have taken significant losses during the invasion of Ukraine, according to various Western sources. Ukraine’s General Staff reported that 116,080 Russian troops have been lost in the nearly-year-long conflict thus far. (RELATED: ‘Pushed By Elements Of The Kremlin’: State Dept. Defends Labeling Lab Leak ‘Foreign Disinformation,’ Flagging Tweets On Subject)
They further reported that newly mobilized units are expected to arrive for training in Rostov Oblast soon and head to the frontlines from there to replenish Russian units that have taken heavy losses. One particular unit that has reportedly suffered significant casualties is the Wagner Group, a mercenary band operated by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has reportedly been making moves to rival Putin for power within Russia in recent months.