The aggressor state russia continues to actively recruit labor migrants for its criminal war. The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) has identified two more foreign mercenaries killed while fighting for the russian occupation army — both citizens of Kyrgyzstan.

The first is Denis Yevgenovich Alekseyev, born on May 4, 1986. He signed a one-year contract with the russian occupation army in moscow on May 5, 2026, as a private (1st Class Rifleman). After only brief training, he was deployed to Donetsk Oblast, where Ukrainian Defense Forces eliminated him near the village of Lypove just over two weeks later, in mid-June.

Before joining the occupation army, Alekseyev had already been living in the aggressor state, most likely as a labor migrant. In April, he lost his Kyrgyz passport and received a replacement at the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic in russia.

The second mercenary is Dastan Azhimudinovich Tagayev, born on February 24, 1983. He had been working in novosibirsk as a labor migrant. On September 10, 2025, russian law enforcement officers detained him during a citywide raid, charged him with an administrative offense for illegally staying in the aggressor state, and fined him 5,000 rubles.

Tagayev continued working in russia until the end of the year. However, under pressure from russian police and facing possible imprisonment due to expired documents, he eventually signed a contract with the occupation army.

Like many other foreign mercenaries, the Kyrgyz national underwent only minimal training before being sent to the front. In June 2026, Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces eliminated him on the Zaporizhzhia axis.