According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 486 Africans recruited into the Russian armed forces have died. Ukraine is holding 35 citizens from 17 African countries as prisoners of war.
The Foreign Ministry provided this data to the Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne, which published it on August 16, 2026. The total number of foreigners recruited into the Russian armed forces has increased only slightly compared to May — from 2,965 people from 36 countries to at least 2,982 people from 37 countries.
Russia’s recruitment of citizens from African countries is part of a broader campaign to attract foreigners to the war. A joint investigation by human rights organizations found that since 2022, Russia has recruited at least 27,000 people from more than 130 countries. This system helps Moscow replenish its forces, shifting the risk of combat operations to foreigners, many of whom are recruited through financial pressure, deception, or coercion.
The majority of those recruited were citizens of Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, and Mali, the ministry told Suspilne.
Recruitment methods and deception
Russian security services use “a wide range of manipulative methods,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated. Recruiters promise civil work, education, high salaries, Russian citizenship, or migration benefits. In many cases, foreigners are forced to sign military contracts in Russian under the threat of deportation or imprisonment.
A report by FIDH–Truth Hounds–KIBHR found that recruiters use social media and intermediaries to spread advertisements for civil work. Of the 16 foreign prisoners of war interviewed, 13 said they were promised they would not participate in combat operations. Most of them ended up on the front lines within a few weeks.
Losses among Africans recruited into the Russian army
Kenyan engineer Francis, interviewed by journalist Dmytro Karpenko, who communicates with prisoners of war captured during combat on the Russian side, said he thought he had agreed to work in the security sector. However, in Russia, he was given a military uniform. After two weeks of training, he was sent to the front, where he was captured.
Nigerian recruits Hamzat Kazin Kolawale and Mba Steven Udoka died during an assault, having received minimal or no military training, the Ukrainian military intelligence reported. Botswana reported “alarming calls” from its citizens who spoke of “dangerous conditions” on the front.
Ukraine warns about recruitment
According to the ministry, Ukrainian diplomatic missions regularly inform African officials about the recruitment of their citizens and conduct information campaigns.
The Foreign Ministry and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War also launched the website Stop Russian Recruiters. The resource explains recruitment methods, publishes stories of victims, provides advice to people who may become victims of recruitment and their families, and accepts reports about recruiters.
Source: Euromaidan Press
