When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the conflict felt far removed from Africa.
Governments such as Kenya’s condemned the assault as “the embers of dead empires.”
The African Union avoided taking sides.
The continent instead grappled with grain shortages and the racist treatment of Africans fleeing the war. Four years later, the conflict is no longer distant.
This week, Kenya revealed that as many as 1,000 nationals had been drafted into the Russian military, helping it fight a war they had little to do with.
Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) in response to enquiries from Members of Parliament, indicated that, as of February this year, 89 Kenyans were actively fighting on the frontline in the Russia–Ukraine war.
According to the report, read by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, 39 Kenyans are currently hospitalised after being injured in the war; 28 are missing in action; 35 have been deployed to military camps in Russia; one is detained; and one has completed the contract.
Even more shockingly, the report indicates that Kenyans are only required to attend training for a few weeks before being sent to the front line to fight.
Those undergoing explosives and weapons training are only required to attend training for nine days before being sent to the front line.
The report states that ex-military personnel, former police officers, and desperate Kenyans aged 20–50 are the main targets of recruiters.
They are enticed by a high salary of Ksh350,000 ($2,714), with bonuses of Ksh900,000 ($6,979), which, according to the report, hardly ever materialise, probably because the recruits get injured, are captured or die in the battle.
Kenya’s situation has regional dynamics, however.
Those recruited leave Kenya on tourist visas to join the Russian army via Istanbul in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
But as Kenya has intensified blockades on locals travelling to Russia without detailed itinerary, some have opted to leave through Entebbe, Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Kinshasa or Dar es Salaam.Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei admitted the problem required regional cooperation, especially on the risks involved.
“The unfortunate thing is that a number of Kenyans have been recruited under false pretences. They were told they would work in special economic zones or other civilian sectors, only to find themselves on the frontline.”
“We are warning citizens: any job offer from Russia at this time carries serious risks. Before leaving, young people must provide evidence of contracts and sign an agreement acknowledging they have been warned,” Singo’ei told The EastAfrican.
The revelations in Kenya only followed a series of videos and reports of more Kenyans dying in the battlefield.
But the situation is replicated in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, Morocco and other countries whose nationals defied warnings to join the Russian army.
On Thursday, the Russian Embassy in Kenya rejected the reports as “propaganda”, denying recruiting any foreigner to fight for its army.
However, the mission clarified that Russian law does not prohibit foreign nationals already in Russia from voluntarily enlisting in the Russian Armed Forces, provided that they are legally present in the country and choose to join the conflict.
“It must be understood that the legislation of the Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, if they stay in Russia on a legal basis and choose to take part in the battle against the NATO-backed Ukrainian Nazism shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen,” the statement read.
The Russian government has not clarified the numbers of foreigners or immigration legal status of those who are on the battlefront, leaving questions as to whether it recruited foreigners on tourist visas.
The embassy also expressed willingness to engage Kenyan authorities in dialogue to address legitimate concerns and strengthen bilateral cooperation, noting that several draft agreements and protocols between Russia and Kenya, including those touching on labour migration, travel arrangements and coordination between law enforcement and security agencies, have been under consideration by Kenyan authorities for years.
It is not a new problem.
In November 2025, Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s then Foreign Minister, revealed that more than 1,400 Africans from over 30 countries were serving in Russian forces, highlighting the scale of the recruitment.
Among them were nationals from Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa.
Some had reportedly died in combat, others captured by Ukrainian soldiers.
Beyond direct recruitment within their home countries, reports indicate that different African nationals are also travelling to third countries where recruitment networks operate more discreetly, before being processed and deployed to the frontline.
Analysts say this layered approach makes it harder for home governments to track the movement of recruits and dismantle the networks involved.
Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, a 29-year-old Kenyan, is among those who died in battle.
His family is now seeking answers and government support to repatriate his body after he was reportedly killed in eastern Ukraine while fighting for Russia.
Mogesa had initially left Kenya for a job in Qatar in 2024, but later informed his relatives that he was travelling to Russia.
Ukrainian authorities later reported that he had died in what they described as a high-casualty assault in Donetsk.
They further claimed that Russian forces did not evacuate his body and that he was carrying the passports of two other Kenyans at the time of his death.
By January, Kenya had said 95 Kenyans were in battle and 200 more had travelled to Russia.
Over the last one year, the number had topped 1,000, with a larger pool believed to be undergoing training.
In Nigeria, authorities issued a stern warning over what they describe as illegal recruitment of citizens into foreign wars.
The Nigerian Foreign ministry raised the alarm over increasing cases of Nigerians being lured into armed conflicts under false pretences.
“The Federal Government unequivocally warns all citizens against engaging in or accepting any offer that involves participation in foreign armed conflicts,” the ministry stated.
“Such actions endanger lives and may violate both Nigerian and international laws governing mercenary activities and foreign enlistment.”
Investigations indicate that recruiters often entice victims with promises of high income.
Some intermediaries are said to facilitate travel using tourist or other non-military visas, further exposing recruits to legal and security risks.
In the past Ukraine has repeatedly warned that anyone fighting for Russia would be treated as an enemy combatant, with the safe route out being to surrender.
Ukraine’s defence intelligence agency (DIU) last week cautioned foreign nationals against travelling to Russia or accepting employment there, particularly informal or illegal work.
It said travelling there “carries a real risk of being forcibly deployed to assault units without adequate training and with little to no chance of survival.”
Observers at the European Union say Russia has employed a structured and expanding recruitment of African nationals into its army, particularly between 2023 and 2025.
“The recruitment campaign is highly visible on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and Telegram,” Vincent Gaudio an expert on open-source intelligence monitoring told a virtual press briefing on Friday.
“There is publicity every single day. Some Africans already living in Russia are actively promoting these opportunities, presenting them as chances to study or work in Russia, while in reality they are linked to military recruitment,” he said.
According to Gaudio, recruitment takes several forms. One typology involves direct enlistment into the Russian army, often marketed with promises of attractive salaries, bonuses and fast-tracked Russian citizenship.
“In some cases, the recruitment is very direct people are openly told they are joining the Russian army to fight. However, we are also seeing online advertisements for jobs such as cleaners, carpenters or drivers. These offers are misleading because they conceal the real intention. Behind them is a contract with the Russian army. This is not an ordinary job offer,” he added, warning of the extremely dangerous working conditions.
Meanwhile, countries in Africa are routinely unearthing recruitment networks. Kenya cracked down on one in November, deporting a Russian national involved.
Uganda has become the latest African country to uncover one that has been sending its citizens to fight and die for the Russian army on the front lines in Ukraine.
Uganda, however, maintains close ties with Russia, purchasing military equipment and abstaining from UN votes condemning the invasion of Ukraine.
