UK sanctions people, entities for recruiting migrants to fight for Russia against Ukraine

cde.news desk 5 May 2026, 13:02 · 2 min read

epa09862652 A Ukrainian soldier poses for photos next to a destroyed Russian helicopter, with the letter 'Z', the Russian invasion symbol, in the recaptured by the Ukrainian army Mala Rohan village, near Kharkiv, northeast Ukraine, 31 March 2022. Mala Rohan and the area around had recently been recaptured by the Ukrainian army from Russian forces. Russian troops entered Ukraine on 24 February resulting in fighting and destruction in the country, and triggering a series of severe economic sanctions on Russia by Western countries. EPA-EFE/ROMAN PILIPEY

Britain unveiled sanctions against 35 people and entities it said were involved in recruiting vulnerable migrants to fight for Russia ‌against Ukraine and produce drones for use in the conflict.

The Foreign Office announced 17 designations under its global irregular migration sanctions regime, relating to what it said were trafficking networks facilitating the travel of people to be sent “to the front line as cannon ⁠fodder.”

The sanctions relate to the trafficking of people from countries including Iraq, Somalia, Syria and Yemen to fight in Ukraine, but also to travel to Poland and Finland for the purpose of causing destabilisation, the Foreign Office said.

Britain also added 18 designations under its Russia sanctions regime, several relating to the Alabuga Start programme, which the Foreign Office described as “a Russian recruitment scheme that hires individuals from outside Russia, usually from economically ‌insecure ⁠backgrounds.”

Those recruited, who are largely from Cameroon, are put to work at a plant located 500 miles (800 km) east of Moscow in the Republic of Tatarstan to produce drones, the ministry said.

Sanctions minister Stephen Doughty said in a statement: “The ⁠practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia’s failing and illegal war in Ukraine is barbaric.”

He added that the sanctions would “disrupt the operations of those trafficking ⁠migrants as cannon fodder and feeding (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s drone factories with illicit components”.

Britain on Sunday said it was ready to enter talks ⁠to join the European Union’s 90 billion euro ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine, a further sign of deepening European defence ties.

Source: Reuters

Topics foreign fighters hybrid warfare Kremlin migrant recruitment Russia-Ukraine war security policy UK Foreign Office UK sanctions