You must hurry.
Information about the closure of the entire eastern border spread on the messaging service Telegram right after Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s announcement.
After the border was closed, started to find out what the refugees who stayed in Russia are up to and how the Russian authorities are dealing with them.
Several different sources said that Russia is trying to get refugees who tried to go to Finland and other EU countries to join the war against Ukraine.
The document obtained by reveals that Russia is recruiting refugees to the front using questionable means.
Among other things, personal information and details about the mass department have been hidden from the document due to the sensitive nature of the matter. has checked the document with an expert.
Title of the document: Excerpt from the order of the commander of the troop division.
The name of the signatory is mentioned in the contract and he is assigned an exact group section and task. The basic salary is said to be 12,052 rubles, or about 121 euros per month. Separate extras are not mentioned.
At the end of the contract are the signatures of the commander and chiefs of staff and the stamp of the corps department.
According to ‘s information, the above agreement was signed by a refugee in Russia who did not understand its content. He was told that by signing the agreement he would avoid deportation to his country of origin.
At the time of signing, the person did not have an interpreter or a telephone to translate the document.
The garrison of the troop division mentioned in the agreement is located in Persianovskiy, about 50 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
In addition to the contract, obtained a certificate for joining the armed forces issued to the refugee.
The upper corner of the certificate reads: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Troop Department, Field Post.
It is said that the recipient of the certificate will later move to an area where a military special operation is underway.
The certificate also has the stamp of the troop department and the commander’s signature.
“Samir” is afraid of recruitment in Moscow
27 years old Samir answers the phone from Moscow. Samir’s name has been changed for security reasons. He is hiding from the Russian authorities because his visa has expired. has not been able to verify his identity.
We ask Samir if he knows that Russia is recruiting refugees in the country to fight in Ukraine.
He starts to tell about his friend.
– The Russian authorities arrested my friend. They offered him a position as a mercenary in the Russian army to fight against Ukraine.
Samir’s plan was to aim for Finland, but the border closed before he could leave for the eastern border.
Now Samir fears that he will have the same options as his friends if the authorities find him.
Samir says that he is currently hiding with 11 other people in harsh conditions.
– I only go out if I need to buy food.
References about recruitment in social groups
The recruitment of Russians has also been highlighted in Arabic social media groups:
Polish activist organization Hope&Humanity helps refugees on the border between Poland and Belarus.
Volunteer worker of the organization Zosia Krasnowolska says by email that he has received shocking messages from refugees in recent weeks.
Krasnowolska tells, for example, about an African man who left for Finland from the border between Poland and Belarus after being there for more than a month.
On the way to Finland, the man was arrested and taken to a detention center near St. Petersburg. There, his asylum application was rejected after only two days of processing.
Then the man was offered the same options that Samir also told about.
– He would avoid deportation if he agreed to work in Russia for a year. He had no idea that “work” meant a war against Ukraine.
Why is Russia recruiting?
Krasnowolska’s and Samir’s stories are supported by a researcher From Olga Vlasova.
– Even if you don’t want war, the matter is presented in such a way that there is no other option, says Vlasova.
According to him, the background of Russia’s increasingly aggressive recruitment is the acute manpower shortage of the armed forces, which is caused by Russia’s heavy losses in Ukraine.
Due to the approaching presidential elections, another partial motion is not an option to make up for losses.
According to Vlasova, the new initiative would weaken the president too much Vladimir Putin popularity in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which are the most important regions for the Russian leadership.
According to Vlasova, instead of Russia’s core regions, Russia has localized its manpower shortage by collecting soldiers especially from areas inhabited by minority nationalities and poorer areas.
Migrant workers have been collected from mosques
Since last summer, however, Russia has invested in a new group of recruits: in Russia, foreign workers from Central Asian countries, many of whom are also Russian citizens, have been recruited into the armed forces.
According to Vlasova, guest workers have been caught in mosques and markets and forced to register for military service. Registration does not yet automatically mean that they will be sent to the front, but they are tried to be pressured and enticed to become contract soldiers.
in Russia has been told, that those who refuse to wash a contract soldier have been threatened with imprisonment. Being washed into the war has also been overcome set as a condition for obtaining citizenship.
The contract soldier’s salary offered to guest workers is not high, but on the other hand, their salary level in Russia is not high anyway, so according to Vlasova, some may be attracted to the war by the money.
If money is not enough of a motive, and the pressure does not work, registered Russian citizens can later also be forced into the war, and migrant workers from Central Asia will be put at the top of the queue.
In addition, Russia is said to have recruited mercenaries from other countries and even among foreigners studying in Russia.
Hate speech towards refugees is increasing in Russia
As the manpower shortage worsens, the use of language has become harsher towards those who are not considered native Russians. Vlasova has drawn attention to the fact that guest workers and other migrants started to be talked about much more in Russia after last July.
According to Vlasova, the Russian media treats migrant workers in a very negative light and emphasizes in particular individual crimes that migrant workers have been accused of.
Vlasova points out that, contrary to what could be concluded from the public debate, in proportion to the population, Russians have nevertheless committed crimes more than twice as often like foreigners.
In Vlasova’s opinion, anti-refugee rhetoric is connected to refugees being recruited into the armed forces.
According to him, a way of speaking is cultivated in Russia, according to which the new residents must show their patriotism and claim their place by fighting for Russia.
– The new Russians should be the first to defend their country and go to war to show that they are real citizens, says Vlasova.
If they are perceived as dangerous criminals for society, it is even easier to send them as cannon fodder.
In addition to Samir, who is in Moscow, interviewed an asylum seeker who came to Finland Yusuf. His name has also been changed. However, his identity has been confirmed.
Yusuf has friends who were on their way to Finland. When the border closed, they were detained by the Russian authorities because their visas had expired.
previously reported how the Russian authorities allowed the refugees to leave for Finland, even though the visas were no longer valid in Russia.
According to Yusuf, his friends were given two options.
– Either they fight in the Russian army against Ukraine or go to prison. After being released from there, they are deported to the country of origin.
A-studio will continue processing the topic on Monday 11.12. You can watch the broadcast here.