Russian law enforcement agencies have sent 20,000 naturalized migrants to fight in Ukraine for failing to register for military service, Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin said on May 20, according to TASS.
The revelation signals an intensifying crackdown on Russia's migrant population as the Kremlin struggles to meet front line manpower needs.
"Already 20,000 'young' citizens of Russia, who for some reason do not like living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, are on the front lines," Bastrykin said during the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
He said he had ordered military investigators, police, and Russia's National Guard to conduct regular raids on areas where migrants live to catch those evading military registration.
Bastrykin earlier claimed many foreigners had begun "slowly" leaving Russia to avoid conscription and described the forced deployment of naturalized citizens as a "trick" to target migrants while fulfilling constitutional requirements.
The statement comes as Russian forces continue monthly recruitment drives of 30,000 to 40,000 people, according to Western intelligence cited by the Wall Street Journal.
