Kurdish fighter in Russia warns against joining Ukraine war

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish man serving with the Russian military has warned young people not to be “deceived” by promises of money and citizenship, saying he is unable to return home even though his contract to fight in the war against Ukraine ended three months ago.

The man, who spoke to Rudaw from Russia on condition of anonymity for safety reasons, said he traveled there in February 2025 after struggling to secure employment in the Kurdistan Region’s military sector.

“I came to Russia and became a soldier because of my passion for military service and because I wasn't being hired in the military sector in the Kurdistan Region,” he said, adding that he had been promised an upfront payment of nearly $12,000 upon signing a military contract.

“I was told that once I arrived in Russia and signed the contract, I would be given $11,900 as an advance,” he said. Instead, he said he received around $7,100 and a monthly salary of $2,500, but added that the money no longer mattered.

“I regret it to my very core because we have no control over any orders, and our lives are constantly in danger,” he said.

In recent years, dozens of young men from Iraq and the Kurdistan Region have joined the Russian military to fight in the war against Ukraine, often after being promised high salaries, residency, or Russian citizenship by recruitment networks and companies, according to Iraqi and Kurdish officials as well as migrant advocacy groups.

According to the Association of Returned Migrants from Europe to the Kurdistan Region, more than 100 young men from the Region have traveled to the front lines since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.

“They left their homeland, swept up by the lies of gangs that transport our youth to Russia, and some to Ukraine. They are promised residency through military service and a monthly salary of $2,500,” Bakr Ali, head of the association, told Rudaw last month.

The Kurdish member of the Russian armed forces said he served near the front lines in Russia’s war against Ukraine and encountered other Kurdish fighters there.

“There were two other Kurds on this same front as me. One was from the Akre town [in Duhok province], and the other was from Iranian Kurdistan (Rojhelat). The one from Rojhelat was severely wounded and sent to Moscow for treatment,” he said.

Originally from Sulaimani, the man said he was also promised Russian citizenship.

“I was told I would be given a Russian passport, but that claim had no basis; I haven't received any passport to date. I urge the youth not to be deceived by these promises because their lives will truly be at risk,” he said.

Although his contract expired three months ago, he said Russian authorities have prevented him from leaving.

“My contract ended three months ago, but they won't let me return. I call on the officials of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq to help me return,” he said, adding that he is currently stationed about 45 kilometers from the front line.

Muthanna Amin, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s foreign relations committee, told Rudaw on Sunday Iraqi authorities are working to bring back Iraqi citizens, including Kurds, who joined the Russian military.

“This young man's contract has ended. We have worked on his case, and the Iraqi Embassy in Russia has sent an official letter to the Russian Ministry of Defense requesting they allow him to return,” Amin told Rudaw.

Amin said several Kurdish fighters in Russia have contacted Iraqi officials for assistance, while others have disappeared. “There are many Kurds in Russia. Several have contacted us to follow up on their cases. Some have now gone silent, and we don't know what has happened to them,” he said.

He added that some Kurdish fighters have been captured by Ukrainian forces.

“Some of these Kurds were taken to the front lines. In addition to those missing, some have been captured by Ukraine and are currently being detained in that country,” Amin said.

According to Amin, Iraq has formed a special committee to monitor the cases of citizens who joined foreign militaries, describing the practice as illegal under Iraqi law.

“This is an illegal act; these individuals became fighters in another country without the state’s permission, which is contrary to Iraqi law,” he said.

He also alleged that networks recruiting Iraqis and Kurds for military service abroad are involved in human trafficking.

“All those Kurds and Iraqis who are taken or go to Russia for military service are handled by specialized gangs, which falls under human trafficking and is completely illegal,” Amin said.

A Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) official told Rudaw on Sunday that authorities are aware of multiple cases involving young men traveling to Russia to fight in the war against Ukraine.

“These individuals went of their own volition. They are over 18 years old and were taken illegally through companies,” the official said.

In February, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji announced that Baghdad would tighten legal and security measures against citizens joining foreign militaries, particularly those involved in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Araji said in December that “hundreds of Iraqis” were fighting in the conflict.

Meanwhile, Ivan Dovhanich, top Ukrainian diplomat in Iraq, told Rudaw around the same time that the Ukrainian authorities were working “closely” with Iraqi officials to address the recruitment of Iraqi citizens by Russia.

Russia’s ambassador to Baghdad, Elbrus Kutrashev, acknowledged in November that Iraqis had joined the war, but said the cases were limited.

“While such cases do exist, they are individual and numbered, not on a large scale as some try to portray,” he said, adding that Russia “did not recruit them - they came voluntarily.”

Soran Hussein contributed to this report from Erbil.

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