• Russia is recruiting Africans for its armed forces, promising them high salaries and easy work, but in reality they become “cannon fodder” for the Russian army.
• Despite the deception and harsh conditions, African nations turn a blind eye to the recruitment, and the number of Africans in the Russian army continues to grow.

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Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Egypt, and Cameroon – this is just a list of some of the countries where Russians seek out, solicit, and recruit Africans.

They are promised the world and easy work; their tickets and visas are paid for within a few days; and at the Moscow airport, instead of an employer, they are met by a man who takes them straight to a Russian army recruitment center. The contract is written in Russian, without a translation, but they are assured that they will work only as drivers, cooks, construction workers, or security guards, and that their pay will be several – or even dozens – of times higher.

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In a recent investigation, researchers from iLAB (Code for Africa) identified 289 digital resources designed to lure Africans: fake websites, bogus profiles, and fabricated positive reviews. They are hosted on Western servers and operate on a “burn and replace” principle – when a site is blocked, a new one appears the next day, and artificial intelligence is used to facilitate this.

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So-called “friends of Russia” also play a role: local journalists promoting job openings, businesspeople from Moskow’s partner projects, politicians, and, according to rumors, even religious organizations. Recruiters can be either Africans or Russians living or working in the region.

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Another powerful channel of Russian propaganda in Africa is the “Russian Houses.” This is a network of cultural centers overseen by the “Rossotrudnichestvo” agency and headed until April of this year by Putin’s friend Yevgeny Primakov (also known as Yevgeny Sandro). At these centers, the local population is indoctrinated; patriotic Soviet and Russian films are shown; Russian is taught; and young people are advised on how to obtain a visa and move to Russia to study or work.

“Russian Houses” are already operating in at least 22 African countries, with plans to open more in 8 others. In the capital of the Central African Republic, directly across from the “Russian House,” there is even a monument to Russian war criminals from the Wagner Group, who massacred the local population for gold and diamonds – and nowThey have turned this unfortunate country into a drug lab.

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Even those Africans who do follow the news mostly believe Russian propaganda. Kremlin mouthpieces such as RT, Sputnik, and African Initiative broadcast in English, French, Portuguese, Arabic, and even Swahili, reaching a vast audience.

In Africa, the myth of Russia as a “great power” and a “fighter against colonialism” persists. In many rural communities, there is simply a lack of information about the true state of the war. Some people sincerely believe that Ukraine is losing, so they have no doubts about their choice to work in Russia or sign a contract with the Russian military.

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“Cannon fodder” for the Russian war machine

For those who did decide to go to Russia, the process begins immediately upon arrival at the airport. They are met either by the Russian recruiter himself or by a third party sent by him. Very soon after arrival, they are taken to sign a military service contract in Russian without translation.

If they refuse to sign this contract with the army, they are threatened with imprisonment under various pretexts – such as debts arising from the need to reimburse the cost of the ticket or illegal stay due to visa revocation.

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Evans Kibet, a 37-year-old Kenyan track and field athlete, signed a contract with the Russian Armed Forces and… on his very first combat mission in the Kharkiv region, he surrendered to Ukrainian soldiers from the 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade.

Vincent Odhiambo, a shop owner from Nairobi, traveled to Russia to work as a salesman, but instead was made a soldier after about a week of training and sent to fight in Ukraine. After being wounded, he escaped from a military hospital, made his way to the Kenyan Embassy in Moskow, and, with the help of diplomats, left the Russian capital.

Kamara Alhaji, a 41-year-old citizen of Sierra Leone, voluntarily signed a contract with the Russian occupation army in the spring of 2026, and by early June had been killed in the the village of Shakhov, in the Donetsk region area.

Pako Namogang, a 25-year-old Botswanan, was the first identified citizen of that country to sign a voluntary contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense in July; just one month later, he was killed by Ukrainian forces in the Luhansk region.

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