{"id":5275,"date":"2026-05-20T10:57:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:57:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/into-the-void-putins-foreign-fighters-bbc-world-service-documentaries\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T10:57:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:57:34","slug":"into-the-void-putins-foreign-fighters-bbc-world-service-documentaries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/into-the-void-putins-foreign-fighters-bbc-world-service-documentaries\/","title":{"rendered":"Into the Void: Putin&#8217;s Foreign Fighters &#8211; BBC World Service Documentaries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe  width=\"580\" height=\"385\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/y7ruSvJfn_g?autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<br \/>An unprecedented investigation into one of Russia&#8217;s most covert war operations: the recruitment of foreign nationals as frontline soldiers for its invasion of Ukraine. This revelatory #BBCEye documentary follows journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi as she peels back the layers of the recruitment networks targeting young men from impoverished and war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen. Lured with promises of prosperity and citizenship that lead them into a brutal conflict from which many will never return. <\/p>\n<p>Click here to subscribe to our channel \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffd https:\/\/bbc.in\/3VyyriM<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Into the Void: Putin&#8217;s Foreign Fighters\u2019 is driven by the personal stories of several foreign fighters. It opens with a secret call from one of them, \u2018Habib\u2019, a Syrian soldier on the frontline, who reveals the inner workings of the recruitment process and the grim reality faced by the foreign soldiers. The investigation then delves into the story of Omar, a Syrian construction worker, who, like many others, was tricked. Promised a non-combat role, Omar finds himself thrust into the brutal frontlines. <\/p>\n<p>A central figure in this web of deceit is Polina, a former teacher turned recruiter, who uses social media to entice economically vulnerable men across the world. We obtain leaked documents and correspondence that reveal her links to the regional authorities in Russia who support these recruitment operations, highlighting a state-sponsored effort to bolster troop numbers with foreign fighters. <\/p>\n<p>The film expands its scope to Yemen, another country becoming a fertile recruiting ground. Here, we meet Ali Al-Sabbahi, a Yemeni human rights lawyer, who is desperately trying to help the families of young men who have disappeared after traveling to Russia. The investigation follows the harrowing journey of two Yemeni men, Khalil and Hussein, who are eventually found in a Ukrainian prisoner-of-war facility. Their emotional interviews reveal the false promises that led them to war and the subsequent abandonment they face from both Russia and their home country. <\/p>\n<p>00:00 Into the Void: Inside Russia\u2019s foreign fighter recruitment<br \/>\n00:34 Life on the frontline in Ukraine<br \/>\n05:00 \u201cRecruited Arabs are sent to die immediately\u201d<br \/>\n06:29 Omar\u2019s Story: From recruitment to the battlefield<br \/>\n09:03 Polina Alexandrovna: Russia\u2019s recruitment operator<br \/>\n10:58 How recruitment deception targets foreign fighters<br \/>\n14:09 Recruitment since the start of the Ukraine war<br \/>\n15:24 Yemeni soldiers trapped in Russia\u2019s war<br \/>\n19:00 Why Yemen is targeted for foreign fighter recruitment<br \/>\n21:40 Rare access inside Ukraine\u2019s Prisoner of War facility<br \/>\n23:45 Tracing missing Yemeni soldiers<br \/>\n26:18 Khalil speaks to his mother from prison<br \/>\n29:05 Contract loophole used to trap recruits<br \/>\n30:36 Habib escapes Russia\u2019s recruitment network<br \/>\n35:00 \u201cTo them, we are numbers, not human beings\u201d<br \/>\n39:14 Confronting Polina Alexandrovna<br \/>\n44:35 Intimidation tactics used against journalists<br \/>\n45:50 Families plead for the return of their sons<br \/>\n48:34 One man\u2019s fight to save Yemeni soldiers<br \/>\n49:26 Why foreign soldiers cannot be freed<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa5 Watch this film in ARABIC here: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K8UF-xsVl-8<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfa7 Listen to The Documentary podcast Putin&#8217;s Foreign Fighters here https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sounds\/play\/p0mtl734 or wherever you get your BBC podcasts.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udf9e\ufe0f To watch more investigative journalism from our award-winning BBC Eye investigations team, check out this documentary playlist: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4fa8LK1lptsvoA_spfJhzda<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfd\ufe0f Watch more BBC Arabic investigations here: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLz_B0PFGIn4eYcZz_B4hdku76NOJjrJwl <\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udce9\u00a0 Do you have a serious story lead for BBC Eye Investigations? \ud83d\udd0e Find out what information is suitable and how to send it to us here:\u00a0https:\/\/bbc.in\/4d7EtkH<\/p>\n<p>You may also be interested in watching these documentaries:<\/p>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_72768\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v4WycNKcfyU?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_13355\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pf8arQ03-lc?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_53030\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LymByDEqWkM?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_46288\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AlrrWx3hBek?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_52571\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BigN9awZC5M?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_74162\"  width=\"480\" height=\"270\"  data-origwidth=\"480\" data-origheight=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ANxo0gBM6GM?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=1&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;-<br \/>\nThis is the official BBC World Service YouTube channel.<br \/>\nIf you like what we do, you can also find us here:<br \/>\nInstagram \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffd https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bbcworldservice<br \/>\nTwitter \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffd https:\/\/twitter.com\/bbcworldservice<br \/>\nFacebook \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffd https:\/\/facebook.com\/bbcworldservice<br \/>\nBBC World Service website \ud83d\udc49\ud83c\udffd https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/worldserviceradio<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for watching and subscribing!<br \/>\n#BBCWorldService #WorldService #Documentary #Russia #Putin #Ukraine #Yemen #Syria #Morocco #Egypt #InvestigativeJournalism #OSINT<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=y7ruSvJfn_g\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An unprecedented investigation into one of Russia&#8217;s most covert war operations: the recruitment of foreign nationals as frontline soldiers for its invasion of Ukraine. This revelatory #BBCEye documentary follows journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi as she peels back the layers of the recruitment networks targeting young men from impoverished and war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen. Lured [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4155150479,"featured_media":5276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[15,10304,369,6947,10305,1361,10300,1368,772,1366,10298,1628,10301,9050,10288,10287,10299,10297,10296,10295,10293,4855,635,10303,3299,10289,10292,10290,10291,1365,1859,10294,10302],"class_list":["post-5275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie","tag-bbc","tag-bbc-arabic-documentary","tag-bbc-documentary","tag-bbc-eye","tag-bbc-russia-documentary","tag-bbc-world-service","tag-china-russia","tag-docs","tag-documentaries","tag-investigations","tag-kursk","tag-morocco","tag-morocco-russia","tag-putin","tag-russia-news","tag-russia-ukraine-war","tag-russian-controlled-ukraine","tag-russian-fighters","tag-syria","tag-syria-news","tag-syria-news-today","tag-syria-russia","tag-ukraine","tag-ukraine-157-brigade","tag-ukraine-news","tag-ukraine-war","tag-ukraine-war-news","tag-ukraine-war-news-update-today","tag-ukrinform-tv","tag-world-service","tag-yemen","tag-yemen-news","tag-yemen-russia","post_format-post-format-video"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4155150479"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5275"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5277,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5275\/revisions\/5277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.godj.com\/reel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}