Russian companies have hired hundreds of migrants from Central Asia to work in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, in particular collecting the bodies of the occupiers killed there.
“Russian companies have hired hundreds of migrants from Central Asia for working in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, despite their governments’ warning them not to go to Ukraine. Kyiv has also claimed that such workers will be considered supporters of the Russian occupiers.”
A man from Kyrgyzstan who did not want to reveal his surname has said that he realises all the risks related to this and has discussed this matter with other migrants working in Ukraine. “They have told me that sometimes they come under fire and that people die. They are doing this because they have no choice. Some of them are in debt,” he says.
Most migrants work in the construction sector in destroyed cities such as Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast. Other works are related to digging trenches and collecting bodies.
Several women from Central Asia have said they were offered work in military hospitals, canteens and factories in occupied parts of the east of Ukraine.
The primary motivation for migrants is money. For instance, the occupiers offer jobs in the construction sector with US$2,000-3,300 per month in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. It is much more than they can earn in Russia.
As reported, Russian companies have promised convicted women from Central Asia who are in jail money and to remove their criminal records if they agree to work in Ukraine.