Flames lick around the edges of Omar's passport. It's burning well, an unseen woman says in Russian in the video.
Omar, a 26-year-old Syrian construction worker, had been deployed for about nine months on the front line of Russia's war in Ukraine when the clip arrived on his phone. He knew the woman's voice. It was Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh, who he says had helped him sign up to fight for Russia, promising lucrative work and Russian citizenship. But now she was angry.
In a series of voice notes from Ukraine, Omar, speaking under a pseudonym for his safety, describes how he ended up trapped and terrified in the war zone. He says Azarnykh had promised that if he paid her $3,000 (£2,227), she would ensure he stayed in a non-combat role. But, he says, he was sent into battle with just 10 days of training...
A BBC Eye investigation has followed how Azarnykh, a 40-year-old former teacher, uses a Telegram channel to lure young men, often from poor countries, into joining Russia's military. The former teacher's smiling video messages and upbeat posts offer one-year contracts for military service.
The BBC has identified more than 490 such invitations that she has sent over the past year to men from countries including Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Her channel has 21,000 subscribers and has become a hub for recruitment under false pretenses, leading many men to face dire consequences on the battlefield...
This narrative highlights how Azarnykh exploits the vulnerabilities of those seeking better lives, ultimately revealing a broader network of recruitment that preys on the desperate.
Omar, a 26-year-old Syrian construction worker, had been deployed for about nine months on the front line of Russia's war in Ukraine when the clip arrived on his phone. He knew the woman's voice. It was Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh, who he says had helped him sign up to fight for Russia, promising lucrative work and Russian citizenship. But now she was angry.
In a series of voice notes from Ukraine, Omar, speaking under a pseudonym for his safety, describes how he ended up trapped and terrified in the war zone. He says Azarnykh had promised that if he paid her $3,000 (£2,227), she would ensure he stayed in a non-combat role. But, he says, he was sent into battle with just 10 days of training...
A BBC Eye investigation has followed how Azarnykh, a 40-year-old former teacher, uses a Telegram channel to lure young men, often from poor countries, into joining Russia's military. The former teacher's smiling video messages and upbeat posts offer one-year contracts for military service.
The BBC has identified more than 490 such invitations that she has sent over the past year to men from countries including Yemen, Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Her channel has 21,000 subscribers and has become a hub for recruitment under false pretenses, leading many men to face dire consequences on the battlefield...
This narrative highlights how Azarnykh exploits the vulnerabilities of those seeking better lives, ultimately revealing a broader network of recruitment that preys on the desperate.
