More than 1,400 citizens from three dozen African nations are serving with Russian forces in Ukraine, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister Andriy Sybiha said Friday.
Ukrainian officials accuse Moscow of reinforcing its invasion force by recruiting foreigners, at times through deceptive schemes. Sybiha urged African governments to warn their citizens, calling the contracts on offer “a death sentence.”
“Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate,” he wrote on X, alleging many are pushed into “meat assaults” and killed quickly.
South Africa said Thursday it would probe how 17 of its nationals joined mercenary units after the men appealed for help to return home. Kenya said last month some of its citizens were detained at Russian military camps after being drawn into the conflict unknowingly.
Sybiha said Ukrainian authorities have identified 1,436 African recruits from 36 countries, adding the true figure may be higher. He said most foreign fighters captured by Ukraine were taken during their first combat mission and that Kyiv would release more details on the countries and regions involved.