A chilling BBC Eye investigation has unmasked the face of Russia's foreign recruitment drive. Her name is Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh, a 40-year-old former teacher who uses Telegram to traffic desperate men from the Global South directly to the frontlines of the Ukraine war.

The scheme is simple and ruthless. Azarnykh posts upbeat videos promising "security jobs" and Russian citizenship to men in Syria, Egypt, and Yemen. Once they arrive, their passports are confiscated, and they are handed rifles with barely ten days of training. Those who resist face a terrifying ultimatum: fight or disappear.

"She Burned My Passport"

Omar, a 26-year-old Syrian, shared his story via voice notes from a trench in Donetsk. When he refused to pay a $3,000 bribe to stay in a non-combat role, Azarnykh sent him a video of his passport engulfed in flames. "It’s burning well," her voice taunts in the clip.

• The Scale: Investigators have identified nearly 500 "invitation letters" issued by Azarnykh. She operates with impunity, effectively running a private conscription agency for the Russian military.
• The Trap: The contracts are written in Russian, which most recruits cannot read. They sign away their lives believing they will be guarding warehouses in Moscow, only to find themselves storming Bakhmut.

War Crimes by Proxy

Legal experts argue this constitutes human trafficking and potentially war crimes. Yet, for men like Omar, trapped between the poverty of home and the artillery of Ukraine, justice is a distant concept. "We were tricked," he whispers. "She is a monster."