Russian recruitment targets ‘dysfunctional’ African states

Russia is stepping up the number of Africans it recruits to counter a personnel shortage in its military and is targeting some of the continent’s most dysfunctional states for manpower, a presentation obtained from sources with Ukraine’s intelligence service showed, according to News24. The countries included Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone in the first nine months of this year after Kenya and SA sought to stop men leaving to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, the presentation seen by Bloomberg showed. Russia has never publicly acknowledged using foreigners to fight Ukraine. But there’s been growing concern in a number of African countries about Russia’s attempts to recruit their citizens. Africa’s comparative poverty means it’s easier to lure people to Russia, often with false promises of civilian jobs in catering or transport. The Governments of Botswana and SA issued public warnings about accepting lucrative-sounding jobs in Russia. Zimbabwe arrested two Russian citizens it suspected of recruiting for the military. The Kenyan and Ghanaian Governments directly asked Russia to stop the activity.

Kenyan politicians have said at least 1 000 citizens have been recruited by Russia. Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi travelled to Moscow this year to object. Russia has now turned its attention to countries with poor democratic credentials, limited press freedom and a weak judiciary, the Ukrainian presentation showed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t respond to a request for comment. Between 1 January and 30 September, Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi, compared with 30 in all of 2025, and 530 Zimbabweans, up from 65, the presentation says. Other countries that saw significant increases include the DRC, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon, according to News24. Russia also started recruiting in Madagascar for the first time since its war against Ukraine began. The military took over in a coup last year and has forged closer ties with Moscow. A network of agents operating around the world and cooperating with the Russian authorities have organised the transfer of recruits to the Russian Federation,’ the UN commission said. During operations, drones were watching to prevent them from going back. They spent days without eating and washing, and many have been killed or have gone missing, the panel added.

Twenty seven Ugandans who were enlisted to fight for Russia’s army in Ukraine have been killed or are presumed dead, a letter from Uganda’s embassy in Moscow to its Foreign Ministry showed. The letter, seen by Reuters, gave the names of 11 Ugandans confirmed dead and 16 whose bodies could not be located anywhere, including among prisoners of war, reports TimesLIVE. Uganda’s embassy said it had received the information from Russia’s Foreign Ministry through a ‘note verbale’, a diplomatic communication. An official at Uganda’s Foreign Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the letter. Russia’s embassy in Kampala did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reports of African men being lured to Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine’s front lines have become frequent, triggering anger in countries like Kenya, Ghana and SA. Ukraine said last year that more than 1 400 citizens from three dozen African countries were fighting alongside Russian forces on its territory, with some recruited through deception. Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, families in Cameroon are calling for the repatriation of relatives allegedly recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine. The group ‘Bring Back Our Sons and Brothers’ held a peaceful march in Yaoundé, going to the Russian embassy to demand action from both Moscow and the Cameroonian Government, according to TimesLIVE. The protesters are urging the two countries to dismantle what they describe as clandestine recruitment networks targeting Cameroonians with promises of jobs in Russia. Families say some relatives were promised civilian work but ended up on the front line in Ukraine. News of the deaths of the Ugandan citizen  and the protest emerged as Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted dozens of African leaders at a summit in Moscow as part of efforts to expand its influence on the continent. As previously reported in Legalbrief, Putin this week accused the West of still trying to exploit the continent’s resources and using debt to hold back development. He called for strengthening Africa’s role in making decisions at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group to meet the continent’s needs.

See Analysis below