Iraqi man convicted for trafficking people to fight for Russia in Ukraine

An Iraqi man was given life in prison by the Najaf Criminal Court for trafficking people to Russia to fight Ukraine.

The court said in a quick statement on Monday that the life sentence was imposed on the basis of a 2012 law that criminalizes recruiting or transporting people for exploitation, and that the convicted defendants also organized groups and sent them to fight abroad in exchange for money.

The Associated Press news agency identified the man as Risan Falah Kamel, an Iraqi judicial official and a senior security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment.

The indictment’s official text has not been made public, and no additional names have been made.

During the current fourth year of the war, thousands of foreign fighters fought for both Russia and Ukraine.

The Foreign Relations Committee of the Iraqi Parliament acknowledged Iraqi nationals fighting alongside the Russian army in early September.

Additionally, it stated that parliament would take action to look into the details and attempt to stop the phenomenon.

According to some local Iraqi media reports, several thousand Iraqis are believed to be fighting on the Russian side, stifled by either money or the possibility of moving to Europe from Russia.

According to American and South Korean officials, North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers and a lot of ammunition to assist Russia on the front lines, particularly when it was battling Ukraine’s ground assault in Kursk, Russia’s border region.

Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, met in Beijing early this month for talks, and both leaders praised the escalating military partnership between their nations.

Putin praised the bravery and heroism of North Korean soldiers, who he claimed fought alongside Russian forces to stop the Ukrainian invasion of Kursk. Since Moscow and Pyongyang signed a strategic partnership in June 2024, Kim asserted, “significantly strengthened,” cooperation has been established.

If there is anything I can do to help you and the Russian people, I will act as if there is something more that is needed, a fraternal duty, a duty that we must bear, and I will be ready to do anything to help, Kim said.

A British national was taken prisoner by the Russian military in the Russian city of Kursk last year while fighting with Ukrainian troops.

Some Chinese nationals were reportedly apprehended and even detained while battling for the Russian army this year, according to Ukraine.