New information has emerged about migrants working in Russia, including Azerbaijani citizens, being forcibly sent to the ongoing war with Ukraine.
According to information obtained by APA, 20 Azerbaijani citizens have recently been involved in the war with Ukraine.
The report states that one of the Azerbaijanis, who went to Russia 3-4 years ago to work in construction, has been working on the construction of various facilities in the Donetsk region, away from the war zone, in recent years.
On December 13, 2025, he wrote to his brother living in Azerbaijan that approximately 250 workers in the construction site were forcibly put on buses and taken to military unit No. 11097 – the 362nd regiment – located in the Voronezh region.
It is planned to send them to Ukraine – to the front line.
In total, about a thousand migrants worked in the construction. Among them were citizens of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
The number of workers from Azerbaijan is approximately 20 people.
The area where they worked was a completely closed zone, with no free entry or exit. Even when going to work, they had to pass through 3-4 military posts.
According to the information, the workers initially worked on the construction of residential buildings and facilities. Later, they were taken in groups to an unknown destination.
In the first stage, half of the workers were taken, then the rest. However, they did not say where they were taking them.
It was later clarified that they were first taken to Voronezh, kept there for 1-2 days, and then transferred to a military unit in the Rostov region. No one asked them whether they wanted to go to war or not. They did not sign any documents related to military service either.
However, they have already been given military uniforms and have started their military training.
Currently, there are approximately 20 Azerbaijanis in that group, who are virtually being prepared for war with Ukraine as hostages.
The report states that these Azerbaijanis are allowed to contact their families by phone very rarely.
It is also emphasized that their relatives have already appealed to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Russia and other relevant authorities regarding the issue.
It should be noted that Russia’s involvement of migrants in the Ukraine war through various means is not new information. Moscow sends migrants to the war zone through various enticing means, deception, intimidation, etc.
In some cases, citizens of individual countries are sent to the front line without any military training or preparation. Information about the death or disappearance of Azerbaijani citizens involved in the fighting in the Russia-Ukraine war is often encountered. Russia’s involvement of migrants who have come to this country for work or other purposes in the war with Ukraine does not fit into any norms. By taking advantage of the difficult situation of migrants and sending them directly to their deaths, Russia once again demonstrates that it does not attach any importance to human rights or migration laws.