Putin's foreign fighters
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
*** This programme contains very strong language *** Over the past year, BBC Eye has followed the journeys of young men from Syria, Egypt, and Yemen who travelled to Russia in search of work, only to end up on the frontlines in Ukraine. Why are these men risking their lives in a war that is not theirs? Many, including students, say they were tricked into fighting for the Russian army by a recruiter. BBC Eye investigates their stories, meeting a family grieving the loss of their son and a young Yemeni man now trapped in a prisoner-of-war camp.
Watch the film Into the Void Putin's Foreign Fighters on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y7ruSvJfn_g
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.8 | Before we start, a warning that this episode contains strong language and scenes that you may find upsetting. |
| 0:16.7 | It's March 2024. A 26-year-old Syrian man has left his home, the ancient city of Swayda, |
| 0:24.8 | to take up a job with the Russian army. I'll call him Omar. That's not his real name. |
| 0:30.1 | And we're changing his voice to protect his identity. |
| 0:33.5 | He's been promised a backline role, not direct combat, so he thinks he'll be safe. |
| 0:40.1 | It's too cold. I can barely speak. We can't take it. |
| 0:46.7 | Omar gets 10 days of basic training, and then he's sent straight to a deadly front line in eastern Ukraine. |
| 0:56.5 | I have an offensive mission. |
| 0:59.1 | Me and my luck. |
| 1:01.7 | What I see on the road, it's something that doesn't leave the mind. |
| 1:07.3 | Dead bodies everywhere. |
| 1:09.1 | I stepped on dead bodies. |
| 1:10.7 | May God forgive me. We are 100% going to die here. |
| 1:16.2 | Death is inevitable. |
| 1:19.2 | Omar is one of many foreign fighters here. |
| 1:22.1 | Russia's full-scale war in Syria. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started Europe's bloodiest war in generations. |
| 1:35.3 | It's estimated that at least 140,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, |
| 1:41.3 | and at least 243,000 Russian soldiers. With such high fatalities, both sides have |
| 1:48.6 | been recruiting from beyond their borders to fill their ranks. This is President Putin speaking in |
| 1:55.6 | March 22. There are people who want to come voluntarily, especially not for money, and provide assistance to people. |
| 2:06.1 | Well, you have to meet them halfway and help them move to the combat zone. |
... |
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