Zimbabwe confirms deaths of 15 citizens sent by Russia to fight against Ukraine

According to him, 15 Zimbabwean citizens are known to have died in the war in Ukraine.

The Zimbabwean government is also stepping up diplomatic efforts to bring home the 66 surviving citizens.

Soda noteіs that Zimbabwean citizens received misleading offers of lucrative jobs from fraudulent employment agencies that used social media as their primary recruitment channel.

The Minister explains that the scheme involved promises of high salaries and safe working conditions, but in practice, citizens had their travel documents confiscated and were forced to participate in combat operations.

Soda notes that they received minimal training, if any at all, and found themselves in life-threatening situations. He adds that when they were wounded, killed, or taken prisoner, the recruiters disappeared, leaving families in Zimbabwe without information, support, or the ability to hold anyone accountable

He adds that in many cases, the promised compensation is never paid to those recruited.

According to the Minister, Zimbabwe maintains close ties with Russia and is currently working to ensure the return of survivors as well as the repatriation of the bodies of those killed.

Mercenaries in Russian Armed Forces

Russia is actively recruiting citizens of African countries to fight in the war against Ukraine.

Russia has recruited over a thousand Kenyan citizens for the war. To do so, it used schemes involving tourist visas and promises of high salaries.

A foreign mercenary from the Philippines who was fighting on the side of the Russian forces was recently neutralized in the Donetsk region.

Additionally, soldiers from the 425th Separate Assault Regiment Skelia of the Ukrainian Ground Forces captured two Colombian citizens in Pokrovsk who were fighting on the side of Russian occupation forces.

South African citizens were deceived into serving in the Russian army and participating in combat operations against Ukraine. They were forced to work in trenches in the cold, left without water and proper food for long periods, and forced to hide from drone attacks.

The number of identified Africans who died fighting on Russia’s side against Ukraine is also rising. Recently, the bodies of two Nigerian citizens who served in the Russian army were discovered in the Luhansk region.

For more details on how Russia recruits Africans, read the article by RBC-Ukraine.