At least 3,589 foreign nationals have been killed fighting for Russia since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to a joint investigation by BBC Russian and Mediazona published on Thursday. The confirmed death toll includes 2,304 North Korean soldiers killed during Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August 2024, alongside 1,285 citizens from more than 40 countries verified through open-source reporting.
The casualties span nations from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan among former Soviet states to Nepal, Cuba, and India farther afield. Recruitment patterns have shifted over the course of the war, moving from ex-Soviet prisoners to overseas volunteers and, more recently, coercion of migrant workers.
Foreign fighters account for fewer than 2 percent of the 233,033 Russian military deaths documented by name in the investigation. NATO estimates roughly 24,000 foreign mercenaries from 44 countries remain in Russian ranks, predominantly from African nations.