Moscow: New information has emerged that migrants working in Russia, including Azerbaijani citizens, were forcibly sent to the ongoing war with Ukraine.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, 20 Azerbaijani citizens have recently been involved in the conflict.
The report reveals that an Azerbaijani migrant, who had been working in the construction sector in Russia for the past 3-4 years, was involved in construction projects in the Donetsk region, which is outside the war zone. On December 13, 2025, he informed his brother in Azerbaijan that about 250 workers were forcibly taken from their construction sites to military unit No. 11097, situated in the Voronezh region, and were planned to be sent to the Ukrainian front line.
In total, approximately a thousand migrants were employed in the construction projects. Among them were citizens from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, with the Azerbaijani contingent numbering around 20 individuals. The construction site was a highly restricted area, requiring workers to pass through multiple military checkpoints to enter or exit.
These workers initially engaged in the construction of residential buildings and facilities but were later taken in groups to undisclosed destinations. Initially, half of the workers were relocated, followed by the others, without any disclosure of their new locations. It was later discovered that they were first moved to Voronezh before being transferred to a military unit in the Rostov region, without any consent or documentation regarding military service.
The Azerbaijani workers were subsequently issued military uniforms and commenced military training. Currently, about 20 Azerbaijanis remain in this group, effectively held as hostages and being prepared for combat in Ukraine. The report states that these individuals are rarely permitted to contact their families by phone.
Relatives of the conscripted Azerbaijanis have already reached out to the Azerbaijani embassy in Russia and other relevant authorities, seeking intervention in the matter. The involvement of migrants in the Russia-Ukraine war, often through coercive measures, is not unprecedented. Russia has been known to employ various tactics such as seduction, deception, and intimidation to send migrants to the war front, often without adequate military training or preparation.
Reports frequently surface about Azerbaijani citizens being killed or going missing while involved in the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine. The forced enlistment of migrants, who traveled to Russia seeking work, starkly contravenes international norms and highlights Russia's disregard for human rights and migration laws, exploiting vulnerable individuals and sending them into conflict zones.