UK says Russia relying on foreign fighters as losses mount

Monday 16 February 2026 - 09:50

By: Dakir Madiha

UK says Russia relying on foreign fighters as losses mount

Russia is increasingly turning to foreign fighters to sustain its war in Ukraine as mounting battlefield losses outpace its ability to replenish troops, British Defence Secretary John Healey said at the Munich Security Conference on February 15, 2026.

His remarks followed updated British intelligence figures showing that Russian forces continue to suffer heavy casualties. According to an assessment released on February 14, Russia’s daily losses averaged 1,023 personnel in January 2026, a slight decline from 1,130 in December 2025. Since the start of the full scale invasion in February 2022, total Russian casualties are estimated at around 1,245,000 killed and wounded.

Ukrainian military commanders say Russian battlefield losses have exceeded new recruitment for two consecutive months. Commander in chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Russian forces lost 31,700 troops in January, about 9,000 more than the reinforcements added to units during the same period. A similar pattern emerged in December, when losses roughly matched the approximately 27,000 contract soldiers Moscow managed to recruit.

The shortfall has intensified scrutiny over Russia’s capacity to sustain offensive operations without launching another large scale mobilization, a move widely viewed as politically risky. The Kremlin has avoided a new general call up since September 2022, when a partial mobilization of 300,000 reservists triggered domestic backlash and prompted hundreds of thousands of Russians to leave the country.

To fill the gaps, Moscow has built an extensive international recruitment network. Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said more than 18,000 foreign fighters from 128 countries and unrecognized territories have served in Russian forces since the invasion began, with about 3,388 reported killed. Recruits have been drawn from Nepal, India, Syria, Yemen, Kenya and several Central Asian states, lured by financial incentives, promises of Russian citizenship or coercion.

A BBC investigation published in January detailed how Russian recruiters targeted economically vulnerable men in countries such as Syria and Yemen, often promising non combat roles before deploying them directly to the front lines.

Ukraine has framed its strategy as one of attrition. Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, appointed in January, outlined a goal of inflicting 50,000 Russian casualties per month, saying Ukrainian forces had already documented roughly 35,000 Russian deaths per month in December, supported by video evidence. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte described Russian losses as “crazy,” stating in Munich that Russia had lost about 65,000 soldiers in the past two months alone.

Fedorov said the Kremlin treats manpower as a resource and that strains on that resource are becoming increasingly apparent.