Russia’s deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to fight Ukraine made international headlines in October 2024, and there have been numerous confirmed reports of foreigners tricked into fighting on the front after arriving in Russia with promises of work permits and jobs. The Koreans, however, are not the only foreigners who deployed. Prior to the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and at the height of Iran-Russia cooperation in Syria, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that “there were 16,000 volunteers in the Middle East ready to fight alongside Russian-backed forces.”
On September 5, 2025, a member of Iraq’s Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee confirmed that a number of Iraqis have been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
Since then, numerous reports have surfaced of militias being mobilized to fight on Russia’s side in Ukraine, drawn from countries under Iran’s influence, including Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. While these governments have denied the presence of their citizens in the Russian military due to diplomatic and political sensitivities, a recent report from Iraqi sources has reaffirmed the issue. On September 5, 2025, a member of Iraq’s Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee confirmed that a number of Iraqis have been fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
According to Iraq’s Shafaq News, more than 5,000 Iraqis have joined Russian front line units since the start of the war on February 24, 2022. Investigations suggest that many were recruited by deception, with promises of jobs, security contracts, and migration opportunities to Europe.
Mukhtar Al-Moussawi, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee from the Coordination Framework, explained that these individuals leave Iraq via human trafficking networks or under pretexts such as tourism or medical treatment. Some travel directly to Russia, while others transit through third countries.
Following the Shafaq report, the Iraq Embassy in Moscow issued a rare warning, urging citizens to resist “attempts to entrap them in participation,” and reaffirming Iraq’s neutrality in the conflict. The statement underscores the government’s concern that Iraq’s social and economic fragility is being exploited by both sides of the war.
The European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States have imposed nearly ten rounds of sanctions on Iran for supplying drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. Initially, Iran denied involvement, but mounting evidence eventually forced Tehran to acknowledge the support. Evidence now suggests that Iran’s cooperation with Russia extends beyond arms transfers or establishing drone production lines on Russian soil.
In Syria’s civil war, Iran effectively served as the infantry for Russian forces defending the Assad regime, mobilizing tens of thousands of militants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon to fight Assad’s opponents.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine coincided with Bashar al-Assad consolidating control over large parts of Syria. Even The Guardian reported the deployment of Syrian fighters to Ukraine’s front lines, and other outlets published similar reports.
The exact number of Afghan and Pakistani militias sent to Ukraine under the leadership of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains unclear.
The onset of the Ukraine war also coincided with statements from Zuhair Mujahid, cultural officer of the Fatemiyoun Brigade—composed of Afghan refugee fighters in Iran—who reported that 2,000 members had been killed and 8,000 wounded in Syria. These figures highlight Iran’s extensive mobilization and deployment of Afghan citizens during the Syrian conflict.
The exact number of Afghan and Pakistani militias sent to Ukraine under the leadership of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps remains unclear. However, Moussawi’s comments suggest that Russian recruitment offers for Middle Eastern citizens mirror Iran’s prior recruitment incentives: promises of citizenship, family support, and financial compensation. Moussawi said Iraqis are offered between $2,000 and $3,000 to fight in Ukraine, formalized through contracts with the Russian army. Haider Al-Shammari, head of the Iraqi community in Russia, confirmed that around 2,000 Iraqis currently fight under these formal contracts.
While Russia uses North Korean soldiers as “cannon fodder,” the fate of the tens of thousands of Iran-backed proxy forces sent to Russia remains largely unknown.
