UK sanctions Russian woman accused of recruiting Nigerians, others to fight for Russia in Ukraine war

• The UK imposed sanctions on Russian woman Polina Azarnykh, accusing her of recruiting Nigerians and other foreigners to join Russia's war effort in Ukraine.

• A BBC investigation found she allegedly used social media platforms to lure recruits with promises of jobs, citizenship and high salaries, but some later ended up on the battlefield.

• Human rights groups say Russia has recruited about 27,000 foreign nationals from 130 countries since 2022, with some allegedly deceived or coerced into military service.

The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on a Russian woman accused of running a recruitment network that allegedly lured Nigerians and other foreign nationals into joining Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

The woman, identified as Alexandrovna Polina Azarnykh, was sanctioned by the UK government on May 5 under the Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025.

According to British authorities, Azarnykh played a role in facilitating the movement of foreign nationals through Russia and into the war effort against Ukraine.

"Backed by the government of Russia, Azarnykh facilitates the travel of individuals from countries like Egypt, Iraq, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Morocco, Syria, and Yemen to Ukraine via Russia for the purpose of destabilising Ukraine, as the individuals are deployed to fight for Russia in its war of aggression in Ukraine," the UK government said.

The sanctions imposed on the 40-year-old include an asset freeze, a travel ban, and a director disqualification order.

The sanctions follow findings from a BBC investigation published in January, which alleged that Azarnykh operated a Telegram channel with more than 21,000 subscribers used to recruit young men from Nigeria and several Middle Eastern and African countries into Russia's military.

The report said investigators uncovered more than 500 cases in which invitation letters were allegedly issued by Azarnykh to foreign nationals, mainly from Syria, Egypt and Yemen. The letters reportedly enabled them to enter Russia before being enlisted into military service.

Several recruits and family members interviewed by the BBC claimed they were misled about the nature of the work and were not told they would be deployed to combat zones. Some also said they were unaware they could not back out after signing military contracts.

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The recruits further accused Azarnykh of intimidating those who questioned the arrangement, an allegation she denied.

One Syrian recruit, identified as Omar, said he met Azarnykh in March 2024 after arriving in Moscow with a group of men who were stranded at the airport.

"We were tricked… this woman is a con artist and a liar," Omar told the BBC.

According to him, the group was taken to a recruitment centre where they were promised a monthly salary of $2,500 and a signing bonus of $5,000. He also claimed they were offered Russian citizenship and non-combat jobs in exchange for a payment of $3,000.

However, Omar said reality on the battlefield was far different.

"Dead bodies everywhere… I've stepped on dead bodies, God forgive me," he said, adding that fallen soldiers were "put in a rubbish bag and thrown next to a tree."

The BBC reported that it spoke with eight foreign fighters allegedly recruited through Azarnykh's network, as well as relatives of 12 men reported dead or missing after joining Russia's military.

An Egyptian man, identified as Yousef, said his brother was recruited while studying in Russia and was struggling financially.

"Suddenly, he was sent to Ukraine. He found himself fighting," Yousef said.

The report also revealed that Azarnykh previously operated a Facebook page helping Arab students secure admission into Russian institutions before later launching the Telegram recruitment channel.

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The allegations against Azarnykh come amid growing scrutiny of Russia's recruitment of foreign nationals for the war in Ukraine.

A report released on April 29, 2026, by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Truth Hounds, and the Kazakhstan International Bureau for Human Rights and Rule of Law (KIBHR) estimated that Russia has recruited about 27,000 foreigners from 130 countries since the start of the invasion in 2022.

The organisations described the programme as a "large-scale predatory" recruitment operation targeting vulnerable groups, including undocumented migrants, students and detainees.

Many recruits reportedly came from Kazakhstan, Nepal, Cuba, Yemen and countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

While some individuals knowingly signed up for military service, the report said others were deceived or pressured into joining.

"But in all cases, it is a state that has instrumentalised them as part of its war machine and sent them to the most dangerous positions on the front line," FIDH President Alexis Deswaef said.

The report further stated that some of the foreign recruits could be considered victims of human trafficking under international law.

Russia has openly discussed the use of foreign volunteers in the war. In 2022, President Vladimir Putin backed the recruitment of foreigners from the Middle East, saying, "There are people who want to come voluntarily, especially not for money, and provide assistance to people."

The latest sanctions come as the human cost of the conflict continues to mount. Last month, Britain's foreign intelligence service estimated that more than 500,000 Russian military personnel had been killed or wounded since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.