According to the Ukrainian project “Khochu zhyty” (Ukrainian for “I want to live”), at least 596 Belarusians signed contracts with the Russian army in the first half of 2025. At the beginning of the year, at least 742 people with Belarusian citizenship were serving in the Russian armed forces. However, the actual number may be higher, as some Belarusians also have Russian citizenship and are not counted as foreigners.