Shocking Videos Show Russian Soldiers Forcing Illegal Migrants to Join Russian And Fight Ukraine

A popular Russian Telegram channel that supports the war has strongly criticised President Vladimir Putin’s immigration policy. The channel, Rybar, has over 1.3 million followers and was started by Mikhail Zvinchuk, a former military translator who was honoured by the Kremlin in 2023.

Recently, the channel shared a video focusing on how Russia’s population is changing, using the Moscow suburb of Kotelniki as an example. It claimed that migrants had attacked locals there and that only half of the 8,000 children in local schools were ethnic Russians.

The video also accused terrorist recruiters of operating in a Moscow junk market, where it said weapons and fake Russian passports were being sold. It also mentioned illegal mosques and brothels supposedly run by ethnic groups. The video ended by asking who benefits from having what it called a dangerous environment near Moscow.

In Russia, both private companies and construction firms have long depended on cheap labour from migrants, especially from Central Asian countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. This has been necessary due to Russia’s low birth rate and people leaving the country.

Videos have also surfaced online showing Russian military officers trying to recruit migrant workers to fight in the war in Ukraine.

This isn’t the first time Putin supporters have criticised the government over immigration. Last year, Georgy Zakrevsky, the leader of a militia group, also attacked Putin’s policies. He said the population is dying out and suffering, while the government focuses on bringing in migrants.

Russia is one of the most diverse countries in the world, with about 190 ethnic groups. However, critics of immigration often ignore the fact that many of the first people called up to fight in Ukraine were ethnic minorities. Studies suggest that non-Slavic and indigenous groups in Russia have suffered more deaths in the war than other parts of the population.

Maria Vyushkova, a scientist based in the US, told the Moscow Times that small indigenous communities in the north are especially at risk. She warned that some of these groups could disappear completely within a generation due to the war.