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BBC identifies 523 foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine — from 28 countries

Par :Yuri Zoria

bbc confirms 523 foreign mercenaries killed fighting russia ukraine — 28 countries grave ahmed valed deraz 25-year-old egyptian 17 2024 cemetery russia's yekaterinburg russian egypt mercenary wanted kill ukrainians something

BBC Russian Service identified names of 523 foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia against Ukraine, using only open-source confirmations. The outlet says those were from 28 countries and died in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Notably, the BBC Russian Service does not refer to them as mercenaries and follows Russian state language, labeling occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as the “self-proclaimed Donbas republics” or the “self-proclaimed DNR and LNR.”

Facing severe battlefield losses in Ukraine, Russia continues to recruit thousands of contract soldiers with financial incentives while avoiding a second wave of mass mobilization. UK intelligence assesses that foreign nationals “almost certainly make up a very small proportion” of Russia’s total armed forces. Nonetheless, such recruitment is likely to continue as the Kremlin seeks to sustain troop levels without triggering domestic backlash from another mobilization campaign.

BBC confirms deaths of over 500 foreign nationals in Russian ranks

According to a joint investigation by the BBC Russian Service and Mediazona, supported by a volunteer group, the names of 118,139 Russian military dead have been confirmed since the invasion began. Included in that figure are 523 foreign nationals who did not hold Russian citizenship at the time of enlistment.

The database relies strictly on publicly available information, including Russian official announcements, social media posts by family members, and grave photographs. It excludes Ukrainian sources and Western intelligence.

The actual number of foreign fighters killed for Russia is likely much higher.

Central Asians recruited from prisons make up largest foreign group

The highest confirmed number of foreign mercenaries killed fighting for Russia came from Tajikistan (72 deaths) and Uzbekistan (66 deaths). In both cases, more than half had previously been incarcerated in Russian penal colonies. Many signed contracts with Wagner Group in exchange for sentence cancellation.

Documents of migrants recruited by Russia.
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Nepalese fighters among the highest casualties outside post-Soviet states

The BBC Russian Service believes North Korea likely has the highest number of foreign dead, but has not identified a single name due to Pyongyang’s secrecy and lack of social media use.

Nepal had the highest confirmed number of indentified fighters killed. The BBC Russian Service documented 70 Nepali nationals killed fighting for Russia, with around 50 more missing. Nepalese authorities sent DNA samples to Russia to help identify the bodies.

The first known Nepali fatality was Sandip Tapalia, a 30-year-old former Gurkha who died in June 2023. He was buried in Ivanovo. 

Egyptian model’s war ends in Russian grave

One of the most publicly documented cases involves Ahmed Valed Deraz, a 25-year-old Egyptian model based in Yekaterinburg. Social media shows him living and working there since at least 2021. He last applied for modeling work in June 2023. At some point after that, he signed a military contract and was eliminated on 17 March 2024 in Ukraine.

He was one of four Egyptians confirmed dead fighting for Russia.

ukrainian forces capture egyptian fighting russia repelling russian assault near kurdiumivka donetsk oblast (left right) citizen captured pow screenshots army's 28th brigade egypt-mercenary-in-rushka-troops-in-donetsk-oblast mechanized ukraine mercenary during combat operations militarnyi
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Sri Lankans, Americans, and Africans also among the dead

Russia also recruited from Sri Lanka, where at least 288 former soldiers joined the Russian military, according to that country’s government. Sixteen were confirmed killed. 

The list also includes individuals from Ethiopia, Zambia, the Central African Republic, Tanzania, and Togo.

Americans appear in the list as well. One of the most notable cases is Michael Gloss, son of a serving CIA deputy director, eliminated in Ukraine fighting for Russia. 

Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the “Everything for Victory” forum in Moscow on 6 July 2025. Source: kremlin.ru.
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US intelligence estimates only a handful of American nationals fought for Russia. In contrast, 2,000–3,000 US citizens reportedly joined Ukrainian forces.

Ukrainians also found among Russian ranks

The BBC Russian Service listed 54 Ukrainian citizens who died fighting for Russia. These only the Ukrainian nationals, registered in the Ukrainian-controlled territory at the time the full-scale invasion began. This figure does not include individuals from the occupied territories, counted separately.

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