Russian Official Says 10,000 Migrant Workers Sent To Fight In Ukraine

Aleksandr Bastrykin (file photo)

The chief of Russia's Investigative Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, said on June 27 that about 10,000 migrant workers with Russian passports have been sent to the Kremlin's war in Ukraine. Bastrykin called the move "a good feature that led to the situation when migrants started slowly leaving Russia." Bastrykin added that his committee had "caught" more than 30,000 migrants who obtained Russian citizenship but failed to register at military offices, a routine obligation for men in Russia. Central Asian governments have warned citizens working in Russia that they will face mercenary charges at home if they join the war in Ukraine to fight for either side. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.