By Sabiu Abdullahi
African men searching for work are being misled, pressured and pushed into combat roles in Russia’s war in Ukraine, leaving many dead, injured or missing, according to accounts from victims, returnees and families.
For Anne Ndarua, the pain is constant. Tears fill her eyes whenever she speaks about her only son, Francis Ndung’u Ndarua, a 35-year-old Kenyan who travelled to Russia six months ago after being promised employment as an electrical engineer. Today, she does not know whether he is alive.
Anne said she last spoke directly with Francis in October. Since then, there has been no contact, apart from disturbing videos that later circulated online and revealed what several African families now describe as a lethal recruitment scheme.
According to a CNN report, Anne received a video in December from an unknown Kenyan number. In the footage, Francis warns fellow Africans against travelling to Russia in search of work. He says job seekers are being forced into the Russian military and sent to fight in Ukraine.
“You’ll end up being taken to the military even if you’ve never served in the military, and you’re taken to the frontline battle. And there are true killings,” he says in the video. “Many friends have died in the name of money.”
About a week later, another video appeared online. It shows Francis in military uniform with what appears to be a landmine strapped to his chest. He looks visibly terrified while a Russian-speaking man shouts racist insults and says Francis will be used as a “can-opener” to break through Ukrainian positions.
“It’s so traumatising,” Anne told CNN. She said she could not watch the clip after her daughter described it to her. Anne explained that speaking publicly was her last hope of prompting action from authorities in Kenya and Russia.
“I’m appealing to the Kenyan and Russian governments to work together to bring those children home,” she said. “They lied to them about real jobs and now they’re in war with their lives in danger.”
Before leaving Kenya, Francis lived with his mother in a small settlement outside Nairobi and had no job. Anne said he paid about $620 to a local agent who claimed he could arrange legitimate work in Russia. She later became alarmed when her son reported that he had been pushed into military training shortly after arriving.
Anne said Francis spent only three weeks in basic training before being deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
A broader CNN investigation points to widespread recruitment of African men by agents linked to Russia. These recruiters allegedly promise civilian jobs, high wages and Russian citizenship, yet many recruits end up conscripted into one of the world’s deadliest conflicts.
CNN reviewed hundreds of chat messages, visas, military contracts, flight records and hotel bookings, and interviewed African fighters and those who managed to return home. The findings describe deception, pressure, unpaid salaries, racism and extreme risk.
Although precise numbers are unknown, governments in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Botswana have confirmed that dozens, and possibly hundreds, of their citizens have been drawn into Russia’s war. Media reports across Africa tell similar stories, which have led several governments to warn citizens against suspicious job offers linked to Russia.
Russia’s Defence and Foreign Ministries did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. The Russian embassy in Nairobi also declined to comment.
CNN spoke with 12 African fighters still in Ukraine, from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda. All said recruiters initially offered civilian roles such as drivers, factory workers, technicians or security guards. They were promised signing bonuses of up to $13,000, monthly pay of up to $3,500 and Russian citizenship after completing service.
Instead, they said they were forced into the army on arrival, given minimal training and sent to combat zones. Several said they were compelled to sign contracts written only in Russian, without translators or legal advice. Many also reported that their passports were seized.
Despite Russian law requiring foreign recruits to understand the language, none of the Africans interviewed said they spoke Russian.
Several fighters said promised payments never arrived. Some accused recruiters or fellow soldiers of stealing money from their bank accounts.
“One Russian soldier forced me at gunpoint to give him my bank card and PIN,” one African fighter told CNN anonymously. “Nearly $15,000 was withdrawn. I’ve been here seven months, and I haven’t been paid a single cent.”
He added that four men who travelled to Russia with him have since died.
Documents examined by CNN indicate that the contracts are far more restrictive than advertised. They include open-ended combat duties, strict loyalty clauses and financial penalties for leaving. The contracts also allow authorities to restrict movement, seize passports and impose long-term secrecy obligations. Promises of retraining or civilian employment are only available after at least five years of service and under limited discharge conditions.
On social media, a different message circulates. In one popular video, a Nigerian man in Russian military uniform encourages Africans to enlist, describing the process as “very, very easy and very good, no stress.” Other clips appear in Igbo, Swahili, Twi and Pidgin English. Ghanaian soldier Kwabena Ballo boasts in one TikTok video: “My salary can feed your father, mother and whole family for two or three years.”
Most African fighters interviewed by CNN reject this portrayal. They described constant danger, racial insults from commanders, unpaid wages and bodies of fellow Africans left on the battlefield for months. Some spoke of colleagues who lost limbs without compensation and suffered severe psychological distress.
“The war here is very hot, and many people are dying on both sides,” said the only African fighter who told CNN he intended to complete his contract. “This was not what these guys expected.”
Despite such accounts, Russian state media continues to highlight African recruits as honoured volunteers. Lawmakers praise them publicly, while televised citizenship ceremonies present Russia as inclusive.
Patrick Kwoba, a 39-year-old Kenyan carpenter, said he believed the online images. After seeing an African friend in the Russian army appearing prosperous on social media, he paid an agent $620 and was promised a $23,000 signing bonus.
“I thought I was going to be a security guard, not a combatant,” Kwoba said in Nairobi after escaping.
He described his four months in Ukraine as “hell.” After three weeks of training, he was sent to the front and later injured during a Ukrainian drone and grenade attack.
“When I asked for first aid using the code ‘3-star,’ my Russian partner chased me away and started shooting at me,” he said.
Kwoba escaped during recovery leave in St. Petersburg and made his way to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow. Embassy officials helped him return home with temporary travel papers.
“So long as you’ve stepped in the Russian military, you escape or you die,” he said. “If you finish your contract, they still force you to stay.”
Kwoba still needs surgery to remove shrapnel from his body and says he is lucky to be alive.
Another returnee, 32-year-old Kenyan photographer Charles Njoki, applied through a Russian army recruitment portal to support his pregnant wife. He sold his car to fund the journey and arrived in Russia within a week. While he was in training, his wife miscarried, news he learned days later because recruits’ phones had been taken away.
Njoki was injured in a drone strike and now lives with permanent damage to his hand and spine. He believes African fighters were deliberately placed in the most dangerous positions.
“They tell you that you’ll guard places, not fight,” he said. “But you end up on the front line.”