The United Kingdom has imposed sanctions on a Russian woman accused of recruiting Nigerians and other foreign nationals to fight for Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The woman, identified as Alexandrovna Polina Azarnykh, was sanctioned under the UK’s Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025 over allegations that she facilitated the movement of foreign nationals into Russia for deployment in the conflict.
According to the UK government, Azarnykh allegedly coordinated the recruitment and transportation of individuals from several countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, Syria, Yemen and Côte d’Ivoire, to support Russia’s military operations in Ukraine.
The sanctions imposed on her include an asset freeze, a travel ban and a director disqualification.
British authorities said her activities contributed to efforts aimed at destabilising Ukraine by supplying foreign recruits to Russia’s war campaign.
A report by the BBC earlier this year alleged that Azarnykh operated a Telegram channel with more than 21,000 subscribers through which she recruited young men from different countries into the Russian military.
The report claimed she issued invitation letters to prospective recruits, enabling them to travel to Russia before signing military contracts.
Several recruits and their relatives reportedly alleged that they were misled about the nature of the jobs, claiming they were promised non-combat roles, financial rewards and pathways to Russian citizenship.
Some also accused her of threatening those who attempted to back out after arriving in Russia. However, Azarnykh denied the allegations.
One Syrian recruit quoted in the report alleged that he and others were promised monthly salaries, signing bonuses and eventual citizenship before being deployed to the battlefield.
Meanwhile, a recent report by international human rights organisations, including the International Federation for Human Rights, alleged that Russia has recruited about 27,000 foreign nationals from more than 130 countries since the start of the conflict in 2022.
The report stated that many of those recruited were migrants, students and detainees, with some allegedly deceived or coerced into joining military operations.
The organisations warned that some of the recruitment practices could amount to human trafficking and may violate international humanitarian and human rights laws.
The war in Ukraine, which began following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, has continued to attract international scrutiny over the recruitment of foreign fighters by both sides.