Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has said that more than 1,400 people from 36 African nations are known to be fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, urging governments to warn their citizens against joining a conflict where they are \u201cquickly killed\u201d.<\/p>\n
Speaking on Friday, Sybiha accused Moscow of enticing Africans into joining the war and signing military contracts that were \u201cequivalent to \u2026 a death sentence\u201d.<\/p>\n list of 4 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n \u201cForeign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate\u201d, Sybiha wrote on X. \u201cMost of them are immediately sent to the so-called \u2018meat assaults\u2019, where they are quickly killed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMost mercenaries do not survive more than a month,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia recruits nationals of African countries using a variety of methods. Some are offered money, while others are duped and do not realise what they are signing up for or are forced to do so under duress. Signing a contract is equivalent to signing a death sentence,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n The minister\u2019s warning came as several African governments acknowledged cases of their citizens joining Russian forces in Ukraine.<\/p>\n According to available information, at least 1436 citizens from 36 African countries are currently fighting in the ranks of Russia’s invasion army in Ukraine. The number represents those identified, though the actual number could be higher.<\/p>\n Russia recruits nationals of African\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Andrii Sybiha \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@andrii_sybiha) November 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n South Africa said on Thursday it was investigating how 17 of its nationals became involved with mercenary groups after the men issued distress calls seeking help to return home.<\/p>\n President Cyril Ramaphosa said the South African men aged between 20 and 39 were lured into joining mercenary forces \u201cunder the pretext of lucrative employment contracts\u201d and had issued distress calls after becoming trapped in the Donbas area of Ukraine.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Ramaphosa said it was not yet clear which side the men were fighting on, but Russia has been accused of recruiting men from other countries to fight in the war under the pretext of offering them jobs.<\/p>\n Russia has also been accused of tricking women from South Africa and other parts of Africa into working in Russian drone factories through social media campaigns promising them jobs in fields such as catering and hospitality.<\/p>\n Kenya also reported last month that some of its citizens had been detained in Russian military camps after being unwittingly caught up in the conflict.<\/p>\n In a post on social media on Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about \u201cyoung Kenyans who have been illegally recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine\u201d and both agreed to \u201craise awareness of the dangers of such ventures\u201d.<\/p>\n Ruto said he asked his Ukrainian counterpart to \u201cfacilitate the release of any Kenyan in Ukrainian custody\u201d and was grateful that Zelenskyy had agreed \u201cto my appeal\u201d.<\/p>\n I have had a fruitful phone conversation with President @ZelenskyyUa<\/a> of Ukraine, and discussed various issues of mutual interest between our two peoples and countries.<\/p>\n We expressed concern over young Kenyans who have been illegally recruited to fight in the war in Ukraine, and\u2026<\/p>\nRecommended Stories <\/h2>\n
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