Kenya reveals number of nationals recruited by Russia for war in Ukraine
Photo: Russia has recruited more than 1,000 Kenyan citizens to fight in the war against Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia has recruited more than 1,000 Kenyan citizens to take part in the war against Ukraine, using tourist visa schemes and promises of high salaries, Le Monde reports.
Read also: Promised jobs but sent to front: Kenya raises outcry over Russia’s actions
"To date, more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited and have gone to fight in the Russian-Ukrainian war," said Kenyan Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung'wah, referring to a joint report by intelligence services and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
The figure is significantly higher than the 200 Kenyans previously mentioned by the country’s authorities.
According to him, the recruits leave the country on tourist visas to join the Russian army via Istanbul and Abu Dhabi.
Kenyans working abroad are also traveling to Russia from their countries of residence.
The lawmaker claims that many signed military contracts promising monthly salaries ranging from €920 to €2,400 in Russia, arranged through a recruitment agency in Nairobi.
As of February this year, 28 recruits were reported missing, 35 were in camps or at military bases, 89 were on the front line, and 39 were hospitalized. Another 30 Kenyans have been repatriated.
Recruitment agencies are said to be cooperating with corrupt employees at Nairobi airport, as well as with national employment services and staff at the Russian embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan embassy in Moscow.
Foreign mercenaries in Russia’s army
Recently, a foreign mercenary from the Philippines fighting alongside Russian forces was killed in the Donetsk region.
Fighters from the 425th Skelia Separate Assault Regiment of Ukrainian Ground Forces captured two Colombian citizens in Pokrovsk who were fighting on the side of Russian forces.
Ukrainian intelligence also released further evidence of war crimes by Russian forces. In an intercepted conversation, a commander of Colombian mercenaries fighting for Russia orders his troops to open fire on Ukrainian civilians, including women and children.
In addition, South African citizens were deceived into joining the Russian army and participating in combat against Ukraine. They were forced to work in trenches in freezing conditions, left without water and adequate food for a long time, and made to hide from drone attacks.
The number of identified foreign nationals from Africa killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine is also rising. Recently, the bodies of two Nigerian citizens serving in the Russian army were discovered in the Luhansk region.
Kenya accused Russia of large-scale recruitment of its citizens for the war against Ukraine. Last week, the country’s foreign minister, Musalia Mudavadi, announced plans to visit Moscow to stop this practice.
For more details on how Russia recruits Africans, read the full report by RBC-Ukraine.
