ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq on Wednesday announced new proposed measures to restrict the recruitment of Iraqi citizens into the Russian military as Moscow continues its military campaign in Ukraine, vowing to take legal action against those who join foreign militaries and combat recruitment networks.

In January, Baghdad formed a committee to combat the recruitment of citizens for the Russian war effort, with officials saying that roughly 5,000 nationals have enlisted to fight for Russia, many of whom are lured by promises of high salaries or the prospective acquisition of citizenship.

In a Wednesday meeting, the committee, chaired by Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, "took a series of decisions to address this file" and passed them forward to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani for approval.

Measures taken include "activating the provisions of the Iraqi Penal Code against anyone who joins foreign armed forces, and holding accountable the entities that facilitate this, in addition to combating financing and recruitment networks," Araji wrote on X.

As Russia grapples to secure sufficient manpower to continue the conflict, which began in earnest in 2022 when Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has increasingly relied on the recruitment of foreign fighters who are often lured to the frontlines under false pretenses.

Ads published on social media offer monthly salaries of up to $4,200 for foreign service members and promise that volunteers may serve in non-combat roles. However, many recruits are exploited and deceived, receiving scant pay and being sent directly to the conflict's frontiers.

Ukrainian officials said that in 2025, Moscow recruited 18,000 foreigners from 128 countries, with 3,300 of them having since been killed.

Since its 2022 invasion, Russia has suffered over 1.3 million casualties, a senior NATO official said in January, including over 400,000 in 2025 alone.