One way visa. Putin recruits Arab mercenaries. They die in “meat assaults”
Attempts to bring citizens back to the country undertaken by the authorities of one of the Syrian provinces were unsuccessful. Recruits who were injured or died do not qualify for any compensation from the Russian state. An example is the tragic story of Wahid Mursala Al-Szibli, who in his homeland, Syria, was an ordinary farmer.
Although he agreed to a trip to Russia, in a few months he recorded a shocking voice message for his family in his homeland, describing the horrors of fights and the desire to return home. This message aroused great interest of Syrian media.
Like several other inhabitants of the province of Suwayd, Wahid responded to an announcement promising good earnings in Russia and an accelerated procedure for obtaining Russian citizenship. After inviting to a private conversation in chat, he sent his documents and soon received a visa for a “business trip” to one of the regions of Russia.
Only after arriving in Russia Wahid learned that he would be sent to the front line in the Lugansk region.
Officials from the province of Suwayd tried to negotiate Wahid's return with the Russian embassy in Damascus, but to no avail. At least seven other residents of the Sudayd, who set off to the war with Wahid, also expressed the desire to return.
In September 2024, Wahid died in a “meat assault”. His family has no right to any compensation from the Russian authorities.
How the recruitment system works
As the Insider discovered, the recruitment of Arab mercenaries is conducted by a well -organized network of employees of the Russian migration service, officials of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and municipal authorities in Russian border regions.
Their common task is to ensure a constant influx of volunteers from countries such as Syria and Yemen, which are struggling with serious economic and political problems. For poor volunteers, the promise of fair remuneration and the prospect of legal stay in Russia are very tempting.
Contacts between potential mercenaries and recruiters are established via channels on Telegram and WhatsApp platforms. The largest recruitment channel is called “Drug Rassiji”.
The mercenaries are promised by Russian citizenship (usually granted after signing the contract with the Ministry of Defense) and a salary of not less than 2,000. euro per month (nearly PLN 8,000 500).
After contacting, potential recruits are asked to send scanned copies of passports and other documents. Letters of people recruited for the Kremlin are then forwarded to Russian officials in border regions who are responsible for administrative support in the field of considering visa applications and sending mercenaries to the battlefield.
The Insider has accessed to letters addressed to Ruslan Markov, head of the consular department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed by district administrators in the Brian region. These letters confirm the intentions of Russian officials to invite Syrians, “who expressed a voluntary desire to serve in the special military operation zone” [tak Rosja nazywa inwazję na Ukrainę] and offer help in signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense.
Ruslan Markow seems to coordinate surgery from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Letters from city leaders help him legally send invitations and approval of “business” visas. Markow had previously worked in the Ministry's Monetary and Financial Department, and later in his administrative department. Information about Marków obtained by The Insider suggests that he has connections with the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SWR).
Ruslan Markow
“The evidence indicates a well -organized mechanism”
Technically, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no longer issues invitations – this task belongs to the Ministry of the Interior. However, Markow probably still supervises this process. Most of the invitations were reportedly issued by the Migration Office of the Branch of the Ministry of the Interior in the Bryan region, and the visas categories and the given goals are usually referred to as “business”.
Electronic invitations to Russia are sent from the e-mail address of the Ministry of the Interior [email protected] to local officials in Bryńsk, who then transfer them to recruiters, and in turn transfer them to recruitments. In this way, “business” visas serve as a cover – migration services and local authorities cooperate to enable the entry of foreigners who later sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The Russian side still reluctantly admits that it is using foreign volunteers on the front. But The evidence indicates a well -organized rectification mechanism of mercenaries, organized and conducted by the Russian state.
