Southeast Asia’s Soldiers of Fortune in the Russia-Ukraine War

Are Southeast Asians fighting in the Russia-Ukraine War?

According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, the answer is yes. Last week, it published a list of alleged foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine’s armed forces.

The list, broken down into regions and countries, claimed that since the conflict began on 24 February 2022, 13,387 foreigners had taken up arms on behalf of Ukraine and that 5,962 had been “eliminated” (presumably killed or seriously wounded).

Among the 88 countries, three Southeast Asian states appear: the Philippines (17 volunteers, two “eliminated”); Indonesia (ten volunteers, four “eliminated”); and Thailand (three volunteers, one “eliminated”).

Although Moscow’s list is impossible to independently verify, it almost certainly refers to foreign nationals who joined the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine.

Created just days after Russia’s invasion, the Legion is part of the Territorial Defence Forces of Ukraine, which is itself part of the Ukrainian armed forces. The Legion accepts male volunteers from other countries aged 18-60 who do not have a criminal record and are physically fit. Prior military experience is preferable but not required (training is provided for new recruits).

The Ukraine government has been coy on the exact number of soldiers in the Legion and their nationalities. In the weeks after the invasion, Foreign Minister Dymtro Kuleba cited that it had attracted 20,000 volunteers from 52 countries, but did not say which ones.

The Russians have also employed mercenaries in the war, most notoriously the Wagner Group, whose founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, led a short-lived rebellion against the Russian government in June 2023 and who was later killed in a suspicious plane crash. In January this year, it was reported that at least two Malaysians were attending a training camp in Russian-occupied Donbas, possibly run by Wagner.

The Russian armed forces are also recruiting directly from abroad. According to recent media reports, several hundred Indian nationals have been duped into serving alongside Russian forces in the Donbas and possibly as many as 2,000 Nepalis. Some have been killed on the battlefield.

Even if the number of Southeast Asians fighting in the conflict is relatively small compared to other regions, their presence raises two important questions. First, is it legal, and second, what are their motivations for taking up arms?

Under international law, it is not a crime to be a mercenary. However, many countries have made it a criminal offence for their nationals to participate in foreign conflicts. Punishments vary from imprisonment to loss of citizenship.

In Southeast Asia, the legality of mercenarism varies from country to country.

Indonesians can lose their citizenship if they serve in a foreign military service without the president’s prior approval. The same is true in the Philippines, unless Manila has a defence pact with the foreign country (a provision which allows Filipinos to join the United States armed forces).

In Malaysia, it is not as clear cut. The Constitution states that citizens can be deprived of their citizenship if they swear an oath of allegiance to a foreign government but whether this applies to a mercenary serving a contract with a foreign military service is unclear. The Malaysian police are investigating reports of the two Malaysians in the Donbas and suggest they may face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws.

In Singapore, it is a criminal offence for citizens to wage war against any country against which the republic is not at war, a point the Ministry of Home Affairs underscored when Russia invaded Ukraine. Singaporeans caught doing so can be fined or imprisoned.

Vietnamese citizens who work as mercenaries abroad can be jailed for ten to 20 years.

In Thailand and Cambodia, being a mercenary is not a crime, though both countries discourage the practice. When Russia invaded Ukraine, then Prime Minister Hun Sen said he would not allow Cambodians to fight for Ukraine, though he had no legal recourse to prevent them from doing so.

Given the huge risks involved — death, injury, imprisonment and loss of citizenship — why have some Southeast Asians signed up to fight alongside Russian and Ukrainian forces?

In the case of the International Legion, the primary motivation is almost certainly a belief in Ukraine’s cause and defending a democratic state from Russian aggression. At least one Thai man gave this reason for his decision to fight for Ukraine.

In the case of those in the International Legion, the primary motivation is almost certainly a belief in Ukraine’s cause and defending a democratic state from Russian aggression. At least one Thai man gave this reason for his decision to fight for Ukraine. Another Southeast Asian who is now a Ukrainian citizen, Vietnamese-born Nguyen Lan Tung, joined the armed forces to defend his adopted homeland.

As has been the case since time immemorial, money is also a prime motivator for mercenaries. The Ukrainians are offering Legionnaires wages of between US$600 to US$3,300 per month depending on specific combat roles (the same pay as Ukrainian soldiers). In Russia, foreign mercenaries are being offered monthly salaries of at least US$1,200 if they join the armed forces. Wagner mercenaries are offered higher remuneration.

Fighting for a foreign army also provides a quicker pathway to citizenship,  as is the case in both Russia and Ukraine.

Undoubtedly some mercenaries are also attracted by the prospect of adventure and the rush of adrenaline during combat.

Religion, however, can probably be discounted. Whereas Islam has motivated some Southeast Asians to participate in foreign wars in the past — such as joining the mujahideen against the Soviet Union in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the 2010s — both Ukraine and Russia are predominantly Orthodox Christian.

Will more Southeast Asians be tempted to join the Ukrainian or Russian armed forces?

The conflict looks set to drag on for the foreseeable future, causing Russia and Ukraine to run low on manpower. The motivations that attract foreigners to enlist will probably remain the same or even strengthen. As such, the incentives for Southeast Asians to join the fray, albeit in small numbers, remain.

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