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‘Into the Void: Putin's Foreign Fighters’ delivers an unprecedented investigation into one of Russia's most covert war operations: the recruitment of foreign nationals as frontline soldiers for its invasion of Ukraine. This revelatory documentary follows journalist Nawal Al-Maghafi as she peels back the layers of the recruitment networks targeting young men from impoverished and war-torn countries like Syria and Yemen lured with promises of prosperity and citizenship that lead them into a brutal conflict from which many will never return.

The documentary is driven by the personal stories of several foreign fighters. It opens with a secret call from one of them, ‘Habib’, a Syrian soldier on the frontline, who reveals the inner workings of the recruitment process and the grim reality faced by the foreign soldiers. The investigation then delves into the story of Omar, a 27-year-old Syrian construction worker, who, like many others, was tricked. Promised a non-combat role, Omar finds himself thrust into the brutal frontlines after only ten days of minimal training.

A central figure in this web of deceit is Polina, a former teacher turned recruiter, who uses social media to entice economically vulnerable men across the world. We obtain leaked documents and correspondence that reveal her links to the regional authorities in Russia who support these recruitment operations, highlighting a state-sponsored effort to bolster troop numbers with foreign Fighters.

The film expands its scope to Yemen, another country becoming a fertile recruiting ground. Here, we meet Ali Al-Sabbahi, a Yemeni human rights lawyer, who is desperately trying to help the families of young men who have disappeared after traveling to Russia. The investigation follows the harrowing journey of two Yemeni men, Khalil and Hussein, who are eventually found in a Ukrainian prisoner-of-war facility. Their emotional interviews reveal the false promises that led them to war and the subsequent abandonment they face from both Russia and their home country.

‘Into the Void’ is a powerful and timely documentary that sheds light on a dark and often overlooked aspect of the war in Ukraine. Through compelling personal testimonies, on-the-ground reporting, and in-depth investigation, the film exposes the exploitation of desperate young men and the human cost of a war that extends far beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine.