Thousands of Africans Are Being Lured to Fight in Russia's War on Ukraine

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Russia's war in Ukraine has become a grinding war of attrition. Every month, tens of thousands of Russian soldiers are killed or wounded on the front lines. But Vladimir Putin has so far resisted a full-scale mass mobilization that would force large numbers of ordinary Russians into uniform — a move that could prove politically costly at home.

So Russia is looking elsewhere for manpower.

That includes Africa.

In recent months, reports have emerged of African nationals being recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Some go knowingly. But many others appear to have been lured under false pretenses, promised civilian jobs in Russia as truck drivers, security guards, or other workers — only to find themselves routed into military training camps and then sent to the front lines.

My guest today, Guyo Chepe Turi, has been investigating how this recruitment pipeline works. He is a research officer with the Institute for Security Studies in Nairobi, where he focuses on East Africa peace, security, and governance. In a recent article, he examined how recruitment networks are targeting young Africans, including in Kenya, and sending them into Russia's war effort.

According to Guyo, Ukraine estimates that there are nearly 3,000 fighters from at least 36 African countries now involved in Russia's war. The countries affected include Kenya, Ghana, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, and others. The true number may be higher, because many of these cases go undocumented.