Central Asians Make Up More Than a Third of Foreign Nationals Captured Fighting for Russia
Prague, November 12, Free Eurasia. Citizens of Central Asian countries are the largest group of foreign nationals captured by Ukrainian forces while serving in Russia’s armed forces. They account for more than one-third of all foreign prisoners of war, the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” told Free Eurasia.
According to the project, citizens of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are the most numerous among them. The two countries rank first and second, respectively, by the number of captured nationals.
The number rose sharply in 2025, when nearly five times as many Central Asians were captured as in the previous year. In 2026, the figure has already reached a level comparable to last year’s, although the year is not over. Almost nine in ten Central Asians captured while serving in Russian forces were taken prisoner in the past two years.
The figures vary by country. More Kazakh citizens have been captured in 2026 than in all of 2025, and their number has risen every year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kyrgyzstan has already reached last year’s figure, while Uzbekistan is close to matching it. The number of Tajik citizens captured so far remains below the 2025 total.
Overall, the number of foreign nationals captured while serving in the Russian army during the first ten months of 2026 is already significantly higher than the total for all of 2025. Recruitment is spreading geographically: the number of captured fighters from Latin America, Africa and Belarus is growing fastest. Central Asia, however, remains the main source of foreign recruits for the Russian army.
The “I Want to Live” project did not disclose the exact number of Central Asian nationals held as prisoners of war, saying only that there are several hundred.
