< p>The Kremlin has forced thousands of migrants and foreign students to fight alongside Russian troops in its war against Ukraine, adding extra strength to its offensive in the Kharkiv region, according to estimates by European officials, Bloomberg reports.
Using a tactic first used by the Wagner mercenary group, Russian officials have increasingly threatened not to extend the visas of African students and young workers unless they agreed to join the military, according to officials familiar with the matter. the question.
It is noted that some Africans who are in Russia on work visas have been detained and forced to choose between deportation and going to the front. "Some of them were able to pay to stay in the country and avoid military service," one of the European officials told Bloomberg.