The Russian military is using advertising on Facebook and Google to attract foreign recruits for the war in Ukraine.

The investigation identified a recruitment network targeting migrant workers in Africa, Asia and Belarus while relying on Western technology and online platforms, according to ASTRA.

According to the investigators, advertisements offer potential recruits jobs in construction and security, assistance with obtaining Russian visas, and even opportunities to appear in films. Those who follow the links are directed to recruitment websites that investigators say are connected to a Russian system for recruiting personnel for the war.

Researchers identified 89 websites, seven Facebook accounts and 39 messaging channels linked to the network, with new ones reportedly appearing on a regular basis.

The recruitment campaigns reportedly target young unemployed men facing financial difficulties. In one example, an advertisement sought African men for a purported film casting and was posted on a Facebook page based in Germany.

Another advertisement sponsored by an account called “IRC Russian Bear” offered what it described as a “chance to change your life,” promising $15,000 after signing a contract and a monthly salary of $3,000.

The investigation found that Western technology was used at several stages of the operation. A major recruitment brand was hosted on a server in Amsterdam, while websites were built using AI tools from US and Swedish companies. When prospective recruits submitted applications, software from an Austrian company collected their personal information before it was sent to Russia.

“Behind this Western layer are ordinary Russian commercial hosting providers, followed by an attack-resistant hosting layer designed to withstand complaints,” the investigators wrote. They said the system effectively uses technology from countries opposed to Russia’s war to promote military recruitment.

Meta and Google said they were removing advertisements associated with the recruitment agencies identified in the investigation.

The overall number of foreign nationals recruited by the Russian military remains unclear. Ukrainian authorities have estimated that between 1,700 and 1,800 people from 36 African countries were recruited to fight on Russia’s side. Moscow disputes claims of organized recruitment and maintains that African nationals joined the Russian military voluntarily.

Women in African countries have been recruited to work at Russian factories producing drones and weapons. Recruitment advertisements have reportedly appeared on billboards in major African cities, including Nairobi.

Young women were recruited to assemble Shahed drones at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Russia’s Tatarstan. The advertisements reportedly presented the positions as jobs in hospitality and food service, rather than weapons production.