A Kenyan long-distance runner shown in a video released by Ukraine’s 57th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade says he was tricked into signing up for the Russian army and fears being returned to Russia after his capture in northeastern Ukraine.
Evans Kibet, 36, wearing a red sports top and seated before the brigade’s flag, pleads to go home to his 16-year-old daughter and says he believed he was signing employment papers in Russia after travelling there in late July for what he thought were road races arranged by a sports agent. Reuters could not independently verify the circumstances of the video or whether Kibet consented to the filming.
The Ukrainian brigade said the interview illustrated Russia’s treatment of foreign recruits but added that Kibet had “fought on the side of the enemy,” leaving it to viewers to judge his account. Kibet says his passport and phone were taken, he received a week of basic training, and was told, “either you fight or we’ll kill you.” He says he fled before his first mission and surrendered near Vovchansk in Kharkiv region, approaching Ukrainian soldiers with his hands raised and shouting that he was Kenyan.
Kibet’s family in Kenya said they were shocked by the video but relieved he is in Ukrainian custody. His brother described him as a soft-spoken athlete who trained in the high-altitude town of Iten and struggled financially as he raced smaller 10km and half-marathon events abroad.
Ukraine’s spokesperson on prisoners of war, Petro Yatsenko, said camps hold foreign nationals from several countries, including Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka. He said some foreigners were deceived with promises of factory work, while others volunteered, and that few are captured alive.
Kenyan foreign ministry official Korir Sing’oei said Nairobi is pursuing reports that several Kenyan nationals were trafficked to Russia and are now prisoners of war in Ukraine, adding that Kenya’s embassy in Moscow is following up. Yatsenko said Ukraine is open to negotiating Kibet’s transfer if Kenya seeks his repatriation.