Captured by Ukraine: Iraqi confesses fighting for Russia
Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, an Iraqi captured by Ukrainian forces admitted to fighting alongside Russian troops, spotlighting a growing controversy over foreign recruitment in the Russia–Ukraine war, ongoing since February 2022.
In a video circulated by Ukrainian media, 26-year-old Kamal Nabil Khalaf from Kirkuk confessed to entering Russia on a tourist visa and working at a restaurant before his arrest by Ukrainian troops, though he offered no details on how he became involved in combat.
Russian law permits foreigners fluent in Russian to enlist, offering monthly pay between $2,500 and $3,000. Since 2022, more than 5,000 Iraqis are believed to have been lured into the war through coercion or deceptive job offers, according to families who told Shafaq News they lost contact with relatives after they traveled to Russia.
Read more: The Desperate and the Damned: Why thousands of Iraqis are fighting in Ukraine
Earlier today, the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights (IOHR) condemned Russian Ambassador Elbrus Kutrashev’s October 17 remarks to our agency, in which he claimed “thousands of Iraqis are ready to join the Russian army if given the chance,” calling it a clear attempt to recruit Iraqis in violation of both Iraq’s sovereignty and international law.
IOHR stressed that foreign military recruitment breaches Article 9 of the country’s constitution, which bans any armed force outside state control, as well as principles outlined in the Vienna Convention and UN Charter.
The watchdog urged the Iraqi government to summon the Russian ambassador, formally reject all recruitment efforts, investigate local actors facilitating them, and enforce stricter oversight on travel and employment agencies potentially serving as recruitment fronts.
