September 12, 2026: Russia has spent over a trillion dollars on its war in Ukraine, and much of that money went to pay signing bonuses of $50,000 or more. Currently, the average monthly wage is about $1,100. Financially, it makes sense to take the signing bonus and go off to the Special Operation in Ukraine. That worked for the first three years, but by 2026 most prospective recruits knew that over half a million Russians had died in Ukraine and anyone going to Ukraine would be dead or wounded within days or weeks, or even less than an hour once they entered the combat zone. The first thing these soldiers noticed was the ubiquity of Ukrainian drones, most of them seeking to kill any Russian they could find. Each drone had a video camera that the distant operator could view using goggle-like headgear. Operators were often widows who became drone operators to avenge their dead husbands. For the Russians, some drones seemed more intent on killing than others.

All this carnage has made most prospective recruits reluctant to accept a $50,000 signing bonus to face certain death. Recruiters added that families of dead soldiers received over $200,000. That did not change anyone's mind.

Russia came up with another solution this year, with nearly 50,000 soldiers from Central Asia, Africa, and elsewhere serving as well-paid mercenaries for Russia. About half of these soldiers are killed, partly because Russia does not let the soldiers leave when their contracts are completed. Russian recruiters use not just financial incentives, but also pressure on migrants. Some foreigners are forced to choose between criminal prosecution and signing a contract.

According to Ukrainian intelligence, men from 136 countries have signed lucrative contracts to fight alongside Russian troops. So far, more than 3,000 foreigners remain in the military after completing their service. The money may have been a factor; the $20,000 signing bonus and over $2,000 a month in pay can change the lives of the poor families many of these foreign troops come from. Sometimes Russia does not make the promised payments, especially if the dead soldier has no next of kin to receive it, or no one complains when the payments are not made, including a substantial amount of cash paid for dead soldiers. Despite the difficulties, Russia continues to seek more foreign recruits. These foreigners are popular with Russian soldiers because the foreigners can be given most of the dangerous assignments.

Russia had earlier problems with foreign mercenaries. Two years ago, Russia was unable to recruit, mobilize, or conscript enough Russians to fight. Even before the end of 2023, Russia looked for ways to address this problem. One solution was recruiting 15,000 Nepalese men to fight in Ukraine. The Nepalese men Russia recruited were not from the Gurkha region. Gurkha soldiers are in high demand as mercenaries, and battalions of them serve in the British and Indian armies. Gurkhas were not interested in fighting for the Russians in Ukraine, so the Russians turned to non- Gurkha Nepalese who needed a job, any job, even if it was a dangerous one. The Nepalese recruits were given the usual scanty training when they entered Russian service in mid-2023. The troops were soon in Ukraine, where they suffered casualties. By 2026, nearly half the Nepalese had become casualties. Four Nepalese soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces and held as prisoners of war. Families back in Nepal appealed to Nepalese politicians to find a way they could contact their men in Ukraine. Russia did not provide any way for their Nepalese mercenaries to send or receive mail to anyone in Nepal. That led Nepal to ban any more Russian recruiting in Nepal. Earlier, Cuba did the same when Russia tried to recruit Cuban men to fight as mercenaries in Ukraine.

Russia has been seeking countries where it can recruit local men as mercenaries but has had little or no success. Russia has a bad reputation because they are the one that invaded Ukraine, and now the Russians are losing, and most countries are fine with that or don’t care as long as the Russians do not try to recruit local men to be mercenaries.