-Do you want Russia to win?
– Russia will win no matter what. It is a country that can challenge the United States. Ukraine is a small country. If Russia really wants it, it can win at any time, Bikram Malla (36 years old) answers VG's questions.
VG meets the young Nepalese man at his home in Khatmandu, the capital of Nepal, through a local journalist.
Mala says he was born and raised in Nepal. The period of growth was characterized by poverty and lack of educational and employment opportunities.
He dreamed of becoming a soldier, and was only thirteen years old when he joined the Nepal Communist Party. He became a child soldier, a guerrilla fighter Nepalese Civil War.
He is now also a husband and father of two.
The most important thing for him now is to give the children two things: Home and education.
To do this, only one thing applies.
-For me, it's about money. Mala says the most important thing is money.
Russia can give him that.
According to many experts, Russia will offer foreign fighters a salary of up to $2,000 for every month they spend in the war.
The amount is 24 times higher than the average salary in Nepal.
An irresistible temptation for the family man.
They also promised me that I would eventually be able to bring my family with me, and that my children would receive a good education. So I decided to travel.
– How much money was involved?
-They promised more than NOK 15,000 per month when I signed the contract.
He wanted to use the money to build a house for himself and his family. Separate bedrooms for the children and a spacious living room to bring the family together.
With this dream, he boarded a plane to Moscow, ready to contribute to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There he came to meet soldiers from all over the world.
VG has seen documents indicating that Mali is a soldier in the Russian army, including his contract and photos of his participation in the Russian armed forces. On the other hand, VG has no way to trace the details of what Mala tells us about what he did in Russia and Ukraine, what he contributed to and experienced.
Human trafficking and mercenaries
Many researchers are currently working to investigate the widespread use of foreign fighters in the Russian army. But that's easier said than done, as two experts explained to VG.
– How many foreign fighters has Russia recruited?
– It is impossible to say exactly how many foreigners are in the Russian army, Miloš Bartosević answers VG's questions through a video interview.
He works daily with Russian policy targeting the Global South.
– It's like solving a puzzle without knowing which photo you're going to take, answers VG. but:
He estimates it may be a few thousand. It then excludes private companies that provide mercenaries, such as the Wagner Group.
Bartosevich divides Russian foreign fighters into two groups:
- Migrant labor
- Foreign recruits
When Bartosevich talks about migrant workers, he is primarily talking about foreign workers, especially from Central Asia. These were in Russia before the full-scale invasion in 2022. But it also refers to imprisoned students and foreigners.
– This group is often forced by Russian authorities to fight. For example, several hundred people were called up for conscription, shortly after receiving Russian citizenship.
Mark Youngman says Russia does not recruit large numbers in major cities such as Moscow, St. Petersburg or Yekaterinburg.
The army deliberately enters areas where poverty is high. There they are tempted by better social status and money.
– A good opportunity to earn a reasonable amount of money that you can then send home, Youngman points out. This also applies to foreign nationals.
– Although I do not have an exact number, I suspect that the bulk of recruitment comes from Central Asia.
-Why does Russia recruit foreign fighters?
– Because they want to limit the losses of ethnic Russians at the front and thus avoid general unrest in Russia. At the same time, they want to avoid social discontent, as might be the case with a new wave of mobilization, Bartosevich says:
– Foreign fighters are used as cannon fodder and in the deadliest missions.
Conscripts from abroad are people Russia lures into the country and then sends to the front. Most of them are from poor and underdeveloped countries – such as Nepal, or countries on the African continent.
Russia has two models for attracting foreign fighters, Bartosevich says:
- Some of them are mercenaries paid to fight for Russia. Most of them are experienced former soldiers. They are recruited online.
- The second group are victims of human trafficking. Russia uses networks of people smugglers, offering fake, well-paid jobs, often linked to the military.
For example, they are offered jobs that do not require them to participate in combat, Bartosevich explains.
– They are transferred to Russia, but first they have to pay the amount themselves. They often have debt even before they get a job.
They then travel to Russia and are deprived of their freedom there. Bartosevich says they either receive some or no training before being sent directly to the front.
So what did Mala do in Russia?
After paying just over 44,000 Norwegian kroner to the “agent” who recruited money, he arrived in Moscow where he met a new “agent” who informed him of the way forward.
Three months of military training, so that he is ready to fight in one of the largest wars in the modern era.
First, Mala is sent to an army camp. Then a new camp. And one more.
Foreign soldiers are transferred from camp to camp every week. Malla claims he is being trained to use Russian weapons, clear enemy hideouts, and move as a soldier.
The ultimate goal: to become part of the Russian war machine.
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image: Savitri Rajali / Nepali Film Production House Limited -
image: Savitri Rajali / Nepali Film Production House Limited
-I became part of a team that was responsible for destroying bunkers. After completing our mission, we returned to camp. He says other soldiers then joined in to continue the fight.
– Some days we fought, and other days we didn't.
Throughout the interview, Mala spoke warmly about her Russian colleagues. For the most part.
But The Nepalese Soldier also tells of a culture of violence and division between Russian soldiers and their foreign colleagues. Often fights can break out, according to Mala.
It often happens that Nepalese develop a sign. “Gorky,” the battle cry that brought all Nepalis out of their seats and out of the barracks. Soon after, Mala says, a mass fight broke out.
– Then everyone left. All Nepalese. They hit and we hit.
Nepalese authorities do not have an exact figure for the number of their citizens fighting for Russia, but have provided estimates of about 200 Nepalese by the end of 2023. But some analysts put the number of Nepalese soldiers at about 1,000.
This did not sit well with the Nepalese authorities, who objected to their citizens fighting for Russia.
– When it became known that Nepalis were dying in Ukraine for Russia, Nepal suspended work visas for its citizens to Ukraine and Russia. In addition, they asked Russia to return the bodies of dead Nepalese, Bartosevich says.
According to Malla, he was with about 200-300 other Nepalese in his camp.
Human rights violations?
Since 2014, Russia has been waging a limited war in eastern Ukraine, without conventional forces. In February 2022, Russia expanded the war into a large-scale ground invasion.
In addition to waging a war of conquest that violates international law, several organizations believe they have documented Russian war crimes against the Ukrainian population.
Several times during the interview with VG, Mala said that he was in the lead on several occasions. But when asked whether he was involved in war crimes, or witnessed war crimes himself, Malla answered in the negative.
“I was not involved in anything criminal,” he says matter-of-factly.
– Russia invaded Ukraine and started a full-scale war. What do you think about contributing to it?
– I don't have much knowledge about this. But what I realized is that I do not know the real reason behind the war between Russia and Ukraine.
-Do you feel you contributed to something wrong while you were there?
– No, I don't do that at all.
I returned home after three months
Shortly after Mala came forward, he became ill, he said. In addition, he did not receive any of the salary he was promised. The Nepali says illness and non-payment of salaries have made him unsafe.
– It was exhausting. We had to fight, and when we didn't get paid, we felt like we were just there to die.
Finally, he decided to return to his family's homeland in Nepal. When VG talked to Mala, he got his money. Now he dreams of returning to the front line.
For Russia.
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