The source material alleges that Alexander Lukashenko, in accordance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, has allowed Russia’s Ministry of Defence to recruit Belarusian citizens for assault units serving in the war in Ukraine.
It says that on 26 September 2026, media reported an intensification of a Russian campaign to recruit Belarusians for participation in the war. The campaign reportedly uses Telegram, Viber and local social-media communities.
According to the source material, potential contract soldiers are offered large one-off payments, high salaries, social benefits, Russian citizenship, and assistance with debt repayment or legal problems. Recruiters reportedly focus mainly on socially vulnerable men from small towns and villages, then offer them the opportunity to travel to Russia and sign contracts with the Russian army.
Human-rights defenders cited in the material warn that foreign contract soldiers are often sent to assault units with high casualty rates. The material also alleges that Belarusian authorities are effectively not obstructing the recruitment campaign.
Euronews reportedly links the campaign to what it describes as a broader Kremlin strategy of using Belarus’s economic and political dependence to expand Russia’s pool of potential recruits.
Claims described in the source
The source material says Belarus’s military and political dependence on Russia enables the Kremlin to use Belarusian citizens as an additional recruitment pool amid what it describes as significant Russian military losses in the war against Ukraine. It identifies socially vulnerable men as the main target group, with recruiters using messaging services and local online communities to offer high payments, benefits and rapid contract processing.
It further states that promises of payments worth millions, Russian citizenship, debt repayment and help with legal problems are primarily recruitment tools. According to the material, foreign contract soldiers recruited in this way are often assigned to assault units with high casualty rates, while cases involving non-payment of promised sums are reportedly widespread.
