Russia is facing renewed scrutiny over allegations that it is coercing migrants from Central Asia — including women — into joining its military campaign in Ukraine, often by offering freedom from prison in exchange for enlistment.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the case of an 18-year-old Central Asian woman held in pretrial detention in the Russian city of Omsk has brought renewed attention to the practice.
The woman, identified as Dilbar, has been detained for months on drug-smuggling charges and alleges she was beaten, shocked with a taser and threatened by prison officers.
According to her account, she was given a stark choice while in custody: face up to 15 years in prison or join Russia’s war effort in Ukraine in return for her release.
Russia hosts millions of migrant workers from the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, many of whom are vulnerable to pressure due to their legal status. Thousands of Central Asian men are believed to have joined Russian forces since the war began, some lured by promises of lucrative employment, while others — particularly convicts and detainees — were allegedly forced into military service.
A smaller number of Central Asian women are also believed to have enlisted, though their exact number remains unknown. Rights groups and observers say cases like Dilbar’s raise concerns about coercion and the treatment of migrant detainees within Russia’s criminal justice system.
A coerced choice
Dilbar, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan whose name has been changed to protect her identity, may soon be among a small but growing number of Central Asian women recruited for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“Mom, forgive me,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty quoted Dilbar as writing in a recent letter to her mother. “If they give me a longer sentence, I’ll go to war. They’ll pay me there, and I’ll be free in a year.”
Dilbar was arrested in October, a year after moving to Russia from the southern Kyrgyz city of Osh. She was detained in Omsk while walking with friends and charged with drug offenses, which she denies. Human rights activists say Central Asian migrants, including women, are often arrested on fabricated drug charges.
According to her sister, Dilbar was offered a role as a cook in the Russian military in Ukraine, with a promised payment of 2 million rubles (about $26,000) for a one-year contract.
Prison officials allegedly told her she would be released after completing the term. Her sister, who asked not to be named for security reasons, traveled from Kyrgyzstan to attend Dilbar’s court hearings and urged her not to enlist.
“We often hear that people who go to Ukraine don’t come back alive,” she told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service.
She added that their father, also a migrant worker in Russia, joined the war in 2023 and is now missing.
Recruiting convicts and detainees
Russia has recruited tens of thousands of prisoners to fight in Ukraine in exchange for reduced sentences, a move aimed at offsetting heavy battlefield losses and avoiding a new mobilization. The Defense Ministry and the private Wagner mercenary group have actively sought recruits in prisons.
Among them are believed to be hundreds of women, both Russian citizens and foreigners. Some are recruited for combat roles, while others work as cooks, cleaners, nurses, and paramedics.
One of them was Gulbarchin, a Kyrgyz woman serving a 12-year sentence in a prison near Moscow. In a letter to her family in late 2023, she said prison officials compiled a list of inmates with long sentences for potential recruitment.
“Everyone with long sentences was included [on the list],” she wrote, adding that she refused to sign up.
Ezgulik, a human rights group based in Uzbekistan, says it has received letters from relatives of dozens of imprisoned Uzbek women alleging coercion by prison authorities. Umida, whose sister is jailed in Russia, said the pressure is severe.
“They’re deprived of food for 10 days to break the prisoners’ will and convince them to go to the war,” she told RFE/RL. “Some girls have tried to commit suicide to avoid being sent to war.”
Russian denies recruiting women
Russian authorities deny recruiting women for combat, describing their service as voluntary. Officials say more than 37,500 women serve in the armed forces, with another 270,000 working in civilian military roles, but have not disclosed how many — particularly foreign nationals — have been sent to Ukraine.
Kyrgyz immigration lawyer Mirlan Toktobekov said most Central Asian women are assigned support roles, though some do end up on the front lines.
“Women can be hired as cooks, medics, nurses, doctors, or other positions,” he said. “There are women working in teams repairing military equipment. And there are also those who fight at the front. Their participation is much smaller compared to men, but it exists.”
Russian prisoner rights activist Olga Romanova said many female inmates are misled about the risks.
“There’s no Internet in women’s prisons,” she said. “They only know what’s shown on television. They think they’ll work as nurses. They don’t understand where they’re really going.”
Central Asian governments have repeatedly warned citizens against participating in foreign wars, which is a criminal offense punishable by long prison terms, though only a limited number of cases have so far reached the courts.
With inputs from agencies
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