Shafaq News – Najaf

An Iraqi man was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for recruiting citizens to fight with Russian forces in Ukraine, a judicial source told Shafaq News.

The Najaf Criminal Court found the defendant guilty of forming international networks to enlist Iraqis and send them to the front lines alongside Russian troops.

Earlier this month, the parliamentary foreign relations committee acknowledged the presence of nationals fighting with the Russian army and pledged to investigate.

Reports suggest thousands of Iraqis have entered the conflict since 2022, many after traveling to Russia for tourism or as a gateway to Europe. Russian law allows foreign residents fluent in the language to formally contract with the military for salaries of $2,500–$3,000 a month.

The issue first surfaced in late 2022, when around 600 Iraqis—some linked to Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) factions—were reported to be preparing to join Russian-backed units in Donetsk and Luhansk via Syria.

Investigations by Shafaq News and other outlets have since indicated that more than 5,000 Iraqis were recruited with offers of high pay, residency or citizenship, and compensation packages for families of those killed worth up to $80,000, in addition to land and official documents.

Read more: The Desperate and the Damned: Why thousands of Iraqis are fighting in Ukraine

Recruitment networks reportedly expanded in 2023 with the involvement of the Wagner Group, which relied on local intermediaries in Baghdad, Basra, and Najaf to target young Iraqis.