'She Trapped Us': Russian Woman Recruits Foreigners For Ukraine War Using Social Media

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 19:34 IST

Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh’s Telegram channel instructs prospective recruits to send scans of their passports, as per the report.

Multiple recruits said contracts were written only in Russian, which they did not understand.

An investigation found that a Russian woman has been using social media platforms to recruit hundreds of foreign men into Russia’s military, allegedly misleading them about the nature of their service and trapping them into frontline combat in the war in Ukraine.

The investigation centres on Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh, a 40-year-old former teacher from Russia’s Voronezh region, who operates a large Telegram channel advertising one-year military contracts, high salaries and the promise of Russian citizenship to men from economically vulnerable countries.

According to the BBC, Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh issued nearly 500 official “invitation" documents over the past year, allowing foreign nationals to enter Russia and enlist in the military. The recruits are largely from Syria, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Nigeria and other countries in the Middle East and Africa.

How Recruitment Works?

The BBC found that Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh’s Telegram channel instructs prospective recruits to send scans of their passports. Using these details, she provides invitation documents required for entry into Russia. Recruits are then met upon arrival and taken to military recruitment centres.

Several men told the BBC they were promised non-combat roles such as guarding facilities or working at checkpoints, along with monthly salaries of up to $2,500 and sign-up bonuses of several thousand dollars. Some said they were also told they would be eligible for Russian citizenship after completing a one-year contract.

However, multiple recruits said contracts were written only in Russian, which they did not understand, and that they were deployed to the front line after minimal training. Under a Russian decree issued in 2022, military contracts can be automatically extended until the end of the war, preventing soldiers from leaving after a year.

One Syrian recruit told the BBC that he was deployed to the front line with just 10 days of training after refusing to pay Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh an alleged $3,000 fee that he says she demanded to keep him out of combat.

Other recruits and families told the BBC that Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh threatened those who complained, including relatives who spoke out publicly.

Kateryna Stepanenko, a research fellow at the Institute for the Study of War, said some regional authorities in Russia offer cash incentives of up to $4,000 to individuals who recruit soldiers, suggesting that Moscow is increasingly relying on non-traditional channels to maintain troop numbers.

News world 'She Trapped Us': Russian Woman Recruits Foreigners For Ukraine War Using Social Media

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