Iraq arrests 17 in crackdown on Russian military recruitment plot

Seventeen people have been arrested in Iraq over an alleged scheme to recruit young Iraqis into Russia’s war against Ukraine, as reported by The National and agencies on February 26th.

According to Saeed Al Jiyashi of Iraq’s National Security Advisory, recruiters allegedly offered work and study visas to Russia that later “transformed into recruitment contracts” for military service. Two of those arrested have been sentenced to life imprisonment, while the remaining suspects are currently on trial.

Al Jiyashi said the Iraqi government considers the recruitment practices illegal and deceptive. “The Iraqi government has taken the issue very seriously,” he said, adding that Baghdad had formally informed Moscow that such procedures were “incorrect and illegal” because they involve Iraqi citizens in a foreign conflict.

Officials claim some Iraqis who travelled to Moscow were forced into combat roles after arrival. In one reported case, an Iraqi artist used social media to describe being coerced into fighting under what he described as a fraudulent contract. Some Iraqi nationals have reportedly been captured as prisoners of war by Ukraine.

The Iraqi government has since contacted authorities in Ukraine to secure the release of detained conscripts and plans to raise the matter with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A hotline has also been established for affected families, and a delegation is expected to visit Moscow to determine how many Iraqis have been recruited. As a precaution, Iraq has suspended scholarships and study programmes in Russia for 2026.

Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, which began with its 2022 invasion, has stretched into a prolonged conflict marked by heavy casualties.

Russian law permits foreign nationals who speak Russian to enlist under contract, and recruitment rules were relaxed following the invasion, often offering fast-tracked citizenship.

Unofficial estimates suggest as many as 5,000 Iraqis may have joined the conflict, split between both sides. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, has accused Russia of recruiting more than 1,700 Africans through similar deceptive tactics, warning that Moscow is attempting to draw foreign nationals into what he described as a “deadly war.”

The National and agencies, Maghrebi.org