Botswana’s Ministry of International Relations relayed via a statement posted over the weekend that it has received an increasing number of distress calls from individuals who allege they were duped into accepting offers of work overseas before being forced to fight.
As seen on Bloomberg, the ministry advised Batswana to thoroughly check employment offers before flying abroad, saying that criminal networks are abusing job seekers through fraudulent recruiting operations.
“The number of Batswana being misled into such arrangements is rising at an alarming rate,” according to the Ministry, which said it “continues to receive heartbreaking calls from Batswana already on the front line, describing the perilous conditions they face.”
According to the authorities, the number of civilians falling prey to these scams has increased dramatically, with many already trapped in perilous fighting scenarios.
Botswana’s warning comes amid growing worries that African people are being recruited into Russia’s military effort.
Recent study on recruitment of Africans in the Russian war
The research indicated that at least 316 of the recruits perished during the fighting.
Per the report, many recruits were first drawn to offers of scholarships, jobs, or vocational training.
However, upon arrival in Russia or Russian-controlled territory, others were allegedly persuaded or blackmailed into military duty.
These results contradict prior comments by Russian officials.
In late 2025, Russian ambassador Natalia Krasovskaya informed reporters in Ghana that African students in Russia were purely concerned with their education and not participating in military actions.
Andrey Podyelyshev, Russia’s ambassador to Nigeria, likewise disputed previous accusations that Nigerians had been recruited to fight in Ukraine.
Kenya’s debacle with the Russian war
In April, following concerns that Kenyan nationals had been lured into the fighting, Nairobi coordinated efforts to ensure the release of those impacted.
In the same month, Kenya’s Foreign Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, also reminded parliamentarians that Kenyan residents cannot serve in foreign military services without government clearance.
Joining a foreign military without authorization is a criminal offense in Kenya that can result in up to ten years in jail.
According to the foreign secretary, those enlisted signed contracts that offered Russian citizenship and sign-on bonuses of up to 3 million shillings ($23,000).
Kenya’s foreign ministry in March revealed that as many as 252 Kenyans had been illegally conscripted into Russia’s military operations, with at least 10 Kenyans feared dead and 38 injured.
The mounting revelations have raised fears that vulnerable job seekers across Africa are being targeted by misleading recruiting networks related to the continuing conflict.
