Deceived and Deployed: African Recruits Say Russia Sent Them to Fight in Ukraine's Deadly Forests

Deep inside a Ukrainian forest near his posting, "Michael" — a 25-year-old Kenyan who asked for his real name to be withheld — says he often saw the bodies of fellow fighters left where they fell because drone strikes made recovery operations too dangerous.

"If your body was deep in the forest, it was hard for them to reach it. Most of them were decomposing in the forest," he recalls. "If the body was near where the people were, then they retrieved them." He says corpses were visible on roads and even in rivers; some were Russian, and some were African recruits.

Deceptive Recruitment and False Promises

Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and multiple witness accounts allege that Russia has used educational grants, sporting events and employment agencies as cover to recruit men from Africa, Asia and the Middle East — often exploiting existing migration networks. Many recruits reportedly paid their own way to Russia after being promised sizeable financial rewards and safe, rear-area security roles.

Russian prisoners of war from a variety of countries being held in a Ukrainian detention centre - Frontliner

Applicants were told they would receive a signing bonus of £5,600 and monthly pay of £1,700 — amounts that can seem life-changing for young men in many African countries. But on arrival, recruits frequently report having their documents confiscated and being handed military contracts written in Russian, which many cannot read or understand.

From Logistics to the Front Line

Michael says he was initially told his role would be a non-combat security job protecting cleared areas. Instead, after being issued armour and a rifle — the first time he'd held a firearm — he received little or no formal training and was quickly moved to forward positions.

"They gave us armour and everything and told us to go. They never trained me on anything. I came to know how to use the rifle after I watched other people using it."

He describes frequent racism and mistreatment from some Russian soldiers and says Africans were sometimes placed into the most dangerous tasks. Previously circulated videos and accounts have shown African fighters mocked and, in at least one widely shared clip, forced into a perilous assault.

A protest in Nairobi by Kenyans angry that relatives who travelled to Russia have disappeared - Anadolu

Drone Warfare and Desertion

Michael and others describe a battlefield dominated by drones. "It was more a drone fight," he says. "Most of the time, we were shooting at drones and if the drone sees you, then it attacks." Faced with these conditions and the gap between promises and reality, he eventually deserted and was assisted home by the Kenyan embassy. Of the seven compatriots who travelled with him to Russia, one is dead, one is missing and the rest returned; Michael says he was never paid.

Scope and Official Figures

Ukraine's defence intelligence has reported identifying 2,965 African citizens who have signed military contracts. Reported recruiting hotspots include Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, Mali, South Sudan and South Africa.

This reporting raises concerns about the exploitation of socio-economic vulnerabilities and the redirection of migration flows toward active combat roles. Multiple human-rights and government actors have called for greater scrutiny of recruitment channels and protections for vulnerable migrants targeted by deceptive schemes.

Note: This account draws on interviews with recruits and reports from Ukraine's Centre for Strategic Communications and defence intelligence; some details are based on witness testimony that cannot be independently verified here.