'We were tricked': How one woman lures foreign men to fight on Russia's front line
Yahoo News Canada • • world
Key Points:
- Omar, a 26-year-old Syrian, was recruited through Polina Azarnykh’s Telegram channel with promises of non-combat roles, good pay, and Russian citizenship but was sent to fight in Ukraine with minimal training and faced threats when refusing combat duties.
- Azarnykh, a former teacher, has been identified by the BBC as a key recruiter who lures men mainly from poor countries into Russia’s military, misleading them about combat risks and contract terms, with nearly 500 documented cases of recruitment invitations.
- Many recruits and their families report deception, inadequate training, forced contract extensions, and threats; at least 12 men recruited by Azarnykh are confirmed dead or missing in Ukraine.
- Russia’s military recruitment increasingly
