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Isenberg Video
- Here and There with Dave Marash, February 3, 2015
- Sep. 2, 2014 Al Jazeera English segment on Blackwater trial - Comment by David Isenberg
- Jan 2, 2010, Al Jazzeera (English), re Judge Urbina’s dismissal of charges against Blackwater contractors
- June 28, 2010. heard in “Controversy over CIA Blackwater contract,” The World
- August 17, 2010, on C-Span III, speaks on private military contracting
- Examining the role of the military contractor
- Has the Privatization of National Security Gone Too Far? The Future of Military Contracting, November 14, 2008, 9:30-11:00am, New America Foundation
- David Isenberg on PressTV - US contractor with poor ratings hired again
- Outsourcing War and Peace – Video
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- A United States in Perpetual War Should Consider a Foreign Legion as a Pragmatic Solution | NextBigFuture.com on LEGITIMIZING A DE FACTO U.S. FOREIGN LEGION IN AFGHANISTAN: TRANSFER OF MISSION CRITICAL SECURITY OPERATIONS FROM PRIVATE CONTRACTORS TO U.S. MILITARY PERSONNEL
- Resource curse alive and well in Afghanistan - Antony Loewenstein on $488 Million Investment in Afghanistan’s Oil, Mining & Gas Industry at Risk
- Il Boom dei contractors in Africa – SURIYA HABIBATI on Mozambique: Hydrocarbon companies deny security deal with Erik Prince – AIM
Author Archives: David Isenberg
Elena Smirnova
From March 2023, Smirnova used social media – posting under her maiden name Shuvalova – to recruit Cuban and Sri Lankan nationals for the Russian military. The ads offered well-paid civilian work in Russia: a one-time payment, a monthly salary of 204,000 rubles (~$2,000 USD), and the long-term prospect of Russian citizenship. In Cuba, where average monthly wages are around $30, this was a life-changing sum for anyone who believed it. Continue reading
Kenya’s Official: 289 Kenyans Were Recruited into Russia’s Military. 69 Are Dead or Missing. Over 150 Are Still Unaccounted For
Kenya’s Diaspora Affairs Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu has given the clearest official account yet of the scale of Kenyan involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Speaking on Radio Generation on Wednesday July 15, 2026, Njogu said government records show 289 Kenyans have at some point been recruited into Russia’s armed forces. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
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Bolivia Held a Wake Without Bodies. The Families of Two Men Recruited for Russia’s War Are Still Waiting for Answers
A symbolic wake was held this week in the Radial 17½ neighbourhood of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. Photographs of Iván Valdivia, 28, and José María Soleto Ayala, 29 – cousins – sat surrounded by flowers and candles. There were no coffins. There were no remains. The families are still waiting for official confirmation that the two men are dead, and for any indication that their government intends to help bring them home. Continue reading
Posted in Casualties, Latin America, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Casualties, Latin America, Russia, Ukraine
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Jordan Confirms Two Citizens Killed After Being Recruited into Russia’s Army, Calls on Moscow to Stop
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ambassador Fuad Majali stated that recruiting Jordanian citizens to serve in foreign armies constitutes a violation of both Jordanian law and international law, and places citizens’ lives at serious risk.
Majali urged Jordanians to report any attempts to recruit them into the Russian army and warned against engaging with such offers.
He said Jordan is calling on Russian authorities to stop recruiting Jordanian nationals and to end the service of any Jordanian already enlisted. The ministry said it will pursue all available measures to halt the practice.
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Posted in Casualties, Middle East, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Casualties, Middle East, Russia, Ukraine
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DIU Intercept: “They’re from Bangladesh. They’ve Been Wandering for Three Days.” Russian Radio Call Exposes Two Lost Recruits with No Translator
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate (DIU) has published an intercepted Russian radio communication from the Kharkiv region in which a soldier reports two Bangladeshi recruits who have been lost for three days – with no translator, no shared language, and their own unit unidentifiable without a photograph. Continue reading
Kenyan Was Offered a Driving Job in Russia. He Ended Up on Ukraine’s Front Line. He Got Out by Pretending to Be Mad.
Kenyan Was Offered a Driving Job in Russia. He Ended Up on Ukraine’s Front Line. He Got Out by Pretending to Be Mad. Continue reading
Botswana Issues Urgent Warning as Recruitment of Citizens for Russia’s War Rises at ‘Alarming Rate’
On July 18, 2026, Botswana’s Ministry of International Relations published an official press statement warning citizens against deceptive recruitment schemes that funnel Batswana into combat in Russia’s war against Ukraine. The statement is Botswana’s starkest public acknowledgment yet of the crisis – and it is not the government’s first. Continue reading
Sent in First to Die: DIU Intercepts Russian Commander Using Racial Slurs While Ordering African Mercenaries Into a Kill Zone in Donbas
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence has published another radio intercept from the front in Donetsk region – and it captures, in the commander’s own words, how Russian forces use African and Arab recruits as expendable assault troops.
The recording involves an officer of Russia’s 1194th motorized rifle regiment. In it, he issues a combat order for a grove assault in the Donbas kill zone. The tactic is explicit: African fighters go in first to breach the position and absorb fire. Arab fighters follow behind, with the Russian officer entering last. Continue reading
Banned but Still Running: Russian Military Recruiters Are Using 40+ Facebook Pages to Target Men in Indonesia and Cambodia
The investigation centres on an organisation called WorkVia, which promotes itself through the website jobsinrussia.ru and runs Telegram channels, Instagram posts, and paid Facebook advertisements. The pitch is simple and consistent: men from Indonesia and Cambodia are promised $3,200 USD per month in salary and a $30,000 USD signing bonus to join the Russian army. No military experience required. Additional combat bonuses are offered for territory advanced, enemy equipment destroyed, and drones shot down. Continue reading
Tanaka Muzilikazi: Another Zimbabwean Dies Fighting for Russia After Being Lured With a Guard Job
Tanaka Muzilikazi, a young Zimbabwean man, has reportedly died while serving with Russian forces in Ukraine. Zimbabwean outlet ZimEye reported his death on July 19, 2026, citing growing concern over the recruitment of Zimbabweans into Russia’s armed forces through false job offers. Photos circulating on social media show him in Russian military uniform – confirming he was deployed. Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
Tagged Africa, Casualties, Russia, Ukraine
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