42% of Foreign Recruits in Russia's Army Die Within Four Months - "I Want to Live" Project Publishes the Data

According to data published by the "I Want to Live" project, 42% of foreign nationals recruited into the Russian Armed Forces are killed within the first four months of service. The figure is drawn from an analysis of thousands of confirmed casualties documented under the project's database of foreign nationals recruited by Russia.
 

The number is not a statistical abstraction. It is a direct consequence of how Russia uses foreign recruits: as assault fodder. Minimal training, if any. Sign the contract, receive a uniform and a rifle — sometimes not even that — and go straight to the front line. No commander in the Russian Armed Forces is factoring in the preservation of foreign personnel. The logic is simple: they are expendable, and replacements can be recruited.

Russian military bloggers have begun publishing casualty figures themselves — numbers they acknowledge are understated, yet still running into the hundreds of thousands. Among those casualties are thousands of foreign nationals who came to Russia chasing fast money, citizenship, or a better life — or who were deceived, coerced, or simply forced into uniform.

That number grows every day. It will continue to grow for as long as the governments of source countries allow their citizens to be recruited into certain death.

If you have already signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces and are looking for a way out - read our guide on how to safely surrender to Ukrainian forces.