Erbil, Kurdistan Region - A 29-year-old man from Duhok has been missing for nine months after joining the Russian army and fighting on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war, his family told Rudaw.
Gailan Ali joined the Russian army about 16 months ago. His family said he was taken to Belarus after being persuaded by several Iraqi Arab youths, and later informed them by phone that he had become a soldier in the Russian army.
"Some Arab men talked him into applying for a Belarus visa. He then went and gave them his passport and documents and went to Basra," Mohammed Barwari, Ali’s uncle, told Rudaw on Tuesday. "From there, they took him as a volunteer, and he didn't know that was a trick and [he was being manipulated] to make money, and then they made him a soldier."
According to a document provided to the family and translated from Arabic, Ali went missing on February 22, 2025, in Ukraine’s Luhansk region. According to Barwari, the Russian Consulate in Erbil has confirmed the information to the family.
"Our demand is that we want to know something about this man," Barwari said. "We don't know anything about this man [his whereabouts], we want to know something about him."
An expert on Russian affairs said Ali is not the only Kurd from the Kurdistan Region on the frontlines.
Dr. Bestun Khidir told Rudaw that two other youths from the Kurdistan Region and dozens of other Iraqis have gone to Russia over the past two years and served as soldiers in the Russian and Ukrainian armies.
"It has been a while since there has been any contact between their families and these young men," he said.
Khidir added that families seeking information should contact official channels.
"We believe the best way is to contact the Iraqi Embassy in Moscow or the Representation of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Moscow so they can provide assistance for this purpose," he said.
Ali’s family also said that earlier in 2025, another young man from Duhok who served in the Russian army was killed, and his body was returned to the city.
Nasir Ali contributed to this article from Duhok.
