Russia is reportedly exploiting impoverished Africans by coercing or deceiving them into fighting in its bloody war in Ukraine — with many forced onto the front lines under false pretenses of employment, according to international and Ukrainian officials.
At least 1,436 citizens from 36 African nations — including Kenya, South Africa, and Cameroon — are believed to be fighting alongside Russian forces, according to the Ukrainian government.
“Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a tragic fate,” warned Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on X Friday. “Most are immediately sent into so-called ‘meat assaults,’ where they are quickly killed.”
Sybiha said many African recruits are tricked into signing military contracts written in Russian — agreements they cannot read — or are forced to sign under duress. “Signing a contract is equivalent to signing a death sentence,” he said, urging African governments to warn their citizens.
He added that Russian forces view these foreign fighters as expendable. “There will be no accountability for the killed foreigner, so they are treated as second-rate, disposable human material. Most mercenaries do not survive more than a month.”
One Kenyan victim, Evan Kibet, 36, an aspiring long-distance runner, told the BBC he was approached by a sports agent who offered to fly him to St. Petersburg for a competition. Upon arrival, Kibet said he was forced to sign “work documents” in Russian and then driven to a military base.
“Either you go to fight or we’ll kill you,” Kibet recalled being told by his captors. He received only a week of basic weapons training before being sent toward the front lines. He later escaped and hid in the forests near Kharkiv, where he was captured and freed by Ukrainian troops in September.
In South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa said his government is investigating how 17 of its citizens ended up fighting in Ukraine after making desperate calls for help. The men, aged 20 to 39, were also reportedly deceived with fake work offers.
“President Ramaphosa and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of young, vulnerable people by individuals working with foreign military entities,” a government spokesperson said.
Kenya’s Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi likewise accused “ruthless” Kremlin-linked recruiters of luring citizens into President Vladimir Putin’s war with false job promises. “Agents masquerade as working with the Russian government and use falsified information to lure innocent Kenyans into the battlefield,” Mudavadi said.
In September, Kenyan authorities arrested a Russian Embassy staffer in Nairobi and his local accomplice for allegedly recruiting men to send to the front lines.
An investigation by Russian independent outlet Important Stories found that the Kremlin has been actively targeting impoverished youth from nations including Ghana, Cameroon, Senegal, Nigeria, Togo, and Somalia, exploiting high unemployment and poverty rates.
Sybiha encouraged foreign mercenaries to surrender to Ukrainian forces if they can escape. “Ukrainian captivity provides a ticket to life and the possibility of returning home,” he said.
Russia’s recruitment crisis has grown since President Trump’s administration began strongly backing Ukraine’s right to defend itself. Despite Russia’s conscription system dating back to the Soviet era, Putin’s military has faced major manpower shortages after suffering catastrophic losses — with over a million estimated killed or wounded since the invasion began in February 2022.
Moscow has since resorted to recruiting North Korean soldiers and deceiving even its own citizens — advertising safe army jobs like drivers or cooks, only to send them straight into combat.
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