On a foggy morning in the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, as the June sun faded from view, Ukrainian shelling targeted a Russian reconnaissance unit that included a young Egyptian named Saeed Ramadan. Saeed had enlisted voluntarily in the Russian army under a contract system, a development arising from amendments made by Russian President Putin to the military service system one month after the onset of the war in Ukraine.
Saeed, along with five other soldiers in his unit, struggled to cope with the overwhelming sounds of artillery fire, opting instead to camouflage themselves among the dark green foliage of the forest as they concealed their presence in their military attire.
As the shelling intensified and drew nearer to their position, the commanding officer shouted "вперед," meaning "forward" in Russian. The soldiers hesitated to flee, finding refuge in a trench 400 meters away, shielding themselves from the drones that patrolled the forest surrounding the city of Donetsk— a region that has witnessed sporadic clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces since the Russian military’s incursion in February 2022.
This investigative report seeks to elucidate how Saeed and other young Egyptians
became involved with Russian military forces in the conflict in Ukraine, examining the underlying motivations, the recruitment processes, and the transition from isolated incidents among Arab students in Russia to a widespread phenomenon affecting Egyptian youth. This includes both those currently studying in Russia and those aspiring to migrate from rural areas in Egyptian governorates.
Our findings reveal a network facilitating the recruitment of Arab youth,
particularly Egyptians, through intermediaries and brokers who exploit the various crises that challenge these young individuals. This network encourages them to engage in combat on the front lines, contributing to higher casualty rates among inexperienced recruits and exacerbating the ongoing violence in the Russian-Ukrainian war as it nears the third anniversary of its commencement.
