Russia steps up African recruitment for war against Ukraine — Foreign Policy

Under the guise of job offers, the Kremlin is increasingly recruiting citizens of African countries.

For example, the case of Kenyan citizen Clinton Mogesa illustrates the scale of Moscow’s recruitment efforts. After finishing his work in Qatar, he told his family about a new job opening in Russia, but within a few days, he found himself undergoing military training.

Subsequently, Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the Kenyan's death in the occupied territory of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, he was carrying documents belonging to other compatriots who may have been recruited through a similar scheme, the agency states.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin has increasingly been recruiting foreign nationals from Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. According to estimates by Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow plans to recruit at least 18,500 foreign fighters by 2026.

The agency notes that although the proportion of foreigners remains relatively small, their role is growing amid significant losses. According to estimates by analysts at the Center for Strategic Studies, total losses among Russian forces could have reached about 1.3 million people, the article states.

According to Kenyan authorities, over 1,000 of the country's citizens have already been drawn into this system. Dozens of them have been wounded, some have returned home, some are considered missing, and there are confirmed cases of deaths.

Recruitment often takes place through local agencies and intermediaries who offer jobs as drivers, cooks, or service staff, the article states.

Fred Ojiro, a representative of the human rights organization Vocal Africa, notes, "these are not soldiers who signed up to fight. They are young men who believed they were traveling for ordinary jobs and instead found themselves in a war with no way out".

At the same time, some of the recruits agree to this knowingly. As Pauline Bax, deputy director of the Africa program at the International Crisis Group, notes, high unemployment and limited opportunities for migration to Europe are pushing people toward risky decisions.

"People take a chance to go and get a visa for Russia, especially now that visas for Europe have become increasingly difficult," Bax says.

Russia's recruitment infrastructure includes social media and messaging apps (including Telegram and VK), recruitment agencies in Africa, intermediaries in Russia and the Middle East, and possible ties to entities linked to the Wagner Group and its successors, the report states.

Investigations in Kenya point to the involvement of certain officials and airport employees who may have facilitated the departure of recruits in exchange for bribes.

The Russian Embassy in Nairobi rejects accusations of illegal recruitment, stating that foreigners may enlist in the army voluntarily, provided they are legally residing in the country, the publication reports.

According to Ukrainian diplomats, citizens of at least 36 African countries have been spotted among those fighting on Russia's side.

Recently, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated that Russia continued to actively recruit citizens of African countries for the war against Ukraine. Such cases have also become more frequent in Latin America.

Russia reportedly recruited more than a thousand Kenyan citizens to fight in the war.