Money, citizenship and fake photos: how the Kremlin recruits Georgians to fight in Ukraine
Russia recruits Georgians to fight in Ukraine
Russian recruiters are targeting Georgians and other foreigners to fight against Ukraine, promising them vast rewards. The recruitment drive is intensifying as Russia suffers mounting military losses.
One website recruiting Georgians to fight in Ukraine on contract states: “Georgia has long been famed for its brave warriors and martial traditions. Today, citizens of this country have the chance to continue this proud history by taking part in an important mission.”
The “Strength of the Motherland” site offers Georgians a one-time payment of 2.5 million roubles (around $31,000) and a monthly salary of 210,000 roubles (about $2,600).
It also promises modern equipment, a full social package including pensions and benefits, and a simplified process for obtaining Russian citizenship for the whole family.
All this comes in exchange for signing a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence. The generous offers are accompanied by images of soldiers, which experts believe are likely AI-generated.
The site “Strength of the Motherland” claims these are what Georgians fighting for Russia in Ukraine look like.
Similar recruitment appeals target citizens of other post-Soviet states, including Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The texts are almost identical: Armenia is praised for its “brave warriors,” Belarus for “disciplined and reliable military specialists,” and Uzbekistan for “hardworking and responsible people.” Only the images and the incentives offered to potential contract soldiers differ.
Recruiting network
“Strength of the Motherland” is not the only platform of its kind. Another site offers Georgians an annual salary of up to 5 million rubles (~$61,000). Otherwise, the promises and overall content are similar.
This site, however, contains no photographs. Instead, it features comments supposedly left by satisfied contract soldiers, such as Dato M., Avtandil T., and Zurab G.
So far we have identified at least eight such recruitment websites.
They target not only foreign citizens but also Russians and immigrants living in the country without legal status.
“No documents? We will help you! Trouble with the law? We will sort it out for you,” reads one platform.
Some sites let users choose the unit they want to join — from artillery to drone operator.
This is unlikely to be a provocation by Russia’s foreign intelligence or an attempt to destabilise neighbouring states.
In July, the Russian outlet Verstka carried out a major investigation into the recruitment market and found that successful recruiters earn tens of thousands of dollars a month.
After nearly four years of war, the Kremlin genuinely needs new soldiers, and for many of these sites recruitment is a way to make large commissions.
Georgians fighting on Russia’s side
Russian military losses in Ukraine are kept under strict secrecy. According to British intelligence, casualties exceed 1.1 million, including the wounded.
BBC Russian and Meduza have identified around 120,000 of those killed, and among them are hundreds of soldiers with Georgian surnames. Sixty-three of these were Georgian citizens. Their involvement often becomes known only after death or capture.
BBC reports that almost all soldiers with Georgian surnames lived in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia or South Ossetia.
Vazha Tsetsadze, who fought in the war, told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he has information about a Georgian unit fighting for Russia at the very start of hostilities. The unit included both Georgians who were Russian citizens and those who came from Georgia to serve under contract.
“Some are chasing money, some were influenced by propaganda, and some still consider Russia their savior,” Tsetsadze said. He fought for Ukraine and was sentenced in absentia by Russia to 25 years in a high-security prison.
Open sources indicate that Georgians fighting for Russia fall into four groups:
- Conscripts from Abkhazia and South Ossetia
- Georgians born in Russia
- Former prisoners fighting with the Wagner Group
- Immigrants in Russia recruited in exchange for citizenship
Mamuka Mamulashvili, commander of Ukraine’s Georgian Legion, says Moscow deliberately promotes these cases to measure the impact of its propaganda in Georgia:
“Russia is trying to create a symbolic ‘Georgian unit’ for its own purposes,” he said.
The Georgian Legion unites 700–1,000 Georgian and foreign volunteers who have fought with Ukraine’s armed forces since 2016. In May 2024, Russia’s Federal Security Service declared the Georgian Legion a terrorist organisation.
Wages are rising
In most Russian regions, local authorities are paying recruiters large sums.
In Ryazan region, in western Russia, a bonus for signing up one new recruit ranges from 50,000 to 500,000 roubles (~$615–$6,100). Recruiting a local resident earns $615, a citizen of another CIS country $861, and recruits from other countries, including Georgia, can earn around $6,000.
However, compared with other regions, these amounts are still relatively modest. Over the past few weeks, eight Russian regions have sharply increased bonuses for recruiters, according to the analytical project ReRussia.
A year ago, the average bonus for a recruit in Russia’s 24 largest regions was 1.2 million roubles (~$14,800). Today it stands at 2.1 million (~$26,000).
According to various sources, in the first nine months of 2025, the Russian Ministry of Defence signed contracts with roughly 330,000 people – about 35,000 per month. For comparison, Ukraine recruited around 200,000 new soldiers in 2024.
The Russian army is significantly larger than Ukraine’s, but its losses are also higher. Research group Frontelligence estimates that in 2025 Russia lost 8,400–10,500 service members per month.
Russia has struggled to achieve major gains on the front for months. ReRussia suggests that to maintain military operations, the Kremlin needs 45,000 new soldiers each month, requiring either a new mobilisation or increased spending to recruit contract troops from abroad.
нRussia recruits Georgians to fight in Ukraine
