Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) said Friday the Kremlin is trying to involve Laos in Russia’s war against Ukraine under the cover of “humanitarian projects.”
According to HUR, Russia is looking for new ways to continue its invasion as its military suffers heavy losses and its resources become exhausted.
Besides recruiting mercenaries from Africa, Asia, and military units from North Korea, Moscow is now trying to involve its partners by launching so-called humanitarian projects in Russian regions that border Ukraine.
Laos is the latest country Russia is targeting, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Kremlin is organizing the deployment of a group of military engineers from the Lao People’s Army to carry out demining work in Russia’s Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.
HUR said Laos depends heavily on foreign aid and has shown initial readiness to send up to 50 military sappers to help with demining operations in the region.
In addition, Laos is providing free medical assistance to Russian soldiers wounded while fighting in Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say Russia is using humanitarian rhetoric to justify the presence of foreign troops on its soil, while in reality, they help support Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military intelligence says it continues to document foreign involvement in what it calls Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
This is part of a larger pattern of foreign involvement, according to Ukraine’s military intelligence. North Korea has already sent about 11,000 troops to help Russia. It plans to send another 25,000 to 30,000 soldiers to support Russian forces on the front lines.
These North Korean troops include engineers and construction workers. They are active in the Kursk region of Russia and are fighting in areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia.
Russia is also recruiting mercenaries and migrant workers from at least 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and Central Asia. These countries include Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, Cuba, Nepal, and Syria. Many recruits are tricked or forced to fight.
They are promised safe jobs or money, but end up on the front lines, where many are killed or wounded. Migrant workers looking for jobs in Russia are often pressured by security forces and put into special units. This helps Russia increase its troop numbers without calling up more ethnic Russian soldiers.