KYIV, UKRAINE — Ukraine’s Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, has revealed that more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries are currently fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, a development that challenges Moscow’s narrative and is forcing African governments to confront the uncomfortable reality of their citizens being drawn into a foreign conflict.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Kyiv alongside his Ghanaian counterpart, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Sybiha accused Moscow of using fraudulent “schemes” and deception to lure the foreign fighters, many of whom have no military background.
“We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war,” Sybiha stated. “According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army”.
‘Lured and Deceived’
Ghana’s Foreign Minister Ablakwa described many of the Africans fighting for Russia as victims of deception, lured through online platforms, including the dark web, with promises of ordinary civilian jobs.
“They have no security background. They have no military background. They have not been trained,” Ablakwa said. “They were just lured and deceived, and then put on the frontlines”.
Ablakwa appealed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to release two Ghanaian prisoners of war captured while fighting for Russia and announced that Ghana, which is set to chair the African Union, would promote public awareness campaigns to counter trafficking networks.
African Governments Under Pressure
The revelations have triggered diplomatic fallout across the continent. South Africa has successfully secured the return of 15 of its citizens who were tricked into fighting for Russia, with Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola confirming that at least two South Africans have died in the conflict.
Kenya’s parliament has been presented with an intelligence report detailing how “rogue” employment agencies targeted Kenyan men with false promises of jobs as cleaners or security guards, only for them to be coerced into signing contracts in Russian they did not understand. At least 1,000 Kenyans are estimated to have been enlisted.
Nigeria’s foreign ministry has expressed “grave concern” over the “rising and alarming trend of Nigerian citizens being illegally recruited”.
Grim Reality on the Front Lines
Research by the non-profit group INPACT has documented nearly 1,500 cases of young Africans sent to the front lines, of whom approximately 300—one in five—have died. The recruits, mainly aged between 18 and 25 from Egypt, Cameroon, and Ghana, survived an average of only six months after enlistment.
Some were consciously recruited into the army, while others were lured with false promises of scholarships or jobs. Those who voluntarily signed contracts were offered one-time payments of between $2,000 and $30,000 and monthly salaries of $2,200 to $2,500, along with the promise of Russian citizenship. However, many regret signing terms they did not understand and being deployed with little to no combat training
.
Russia Denies Involvement
Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in its armed forces
. However, the recruitment scandal has created tensions between Moscow and several African governments, challenging the narrative of Russia as a friendly partner on the continent.
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