In October 2024, a group of young African women began to denounce that Russia had offered them good jobs in the Federation, had taken them out of their country and, in the end, had them, piecework since the invasion of Ukraine began, almost four years ago. Now, history repeats itself, but the protagonists are men and their task, directly, is to forcibly enroll in the Army of
Videos have appeared on social networks that confirm this and have caused enormous concern in the families of those affected, who left home thinking about a good technical or scientific job and have ended up with their uniform on, subjected to humiliation, insults and, apparently, even used as kamikazes.
This is the case, documented by the , of Francis Ndung’u Ndarua, from Kenya, whose terrified face has gone around the world. About six months ago, he traveled to Russia with the promise of a job as an electrical engineer, but his mother, Anne, has not been able to contact him since October. He doesn’t know if he is alive or dead. What he knows is that someone sent him some images of his son warning other Africans not to travel to Russia for any job offers.
“You will end up in the Army, even if you have never served, and they will take you to the front lines. And there are real killings,” he is heard in the video, sent from an unknown number in Kenya. “Many friends have died for money,” adds the young man.
Approximately a week later, another Francis disturber went viral on social media. Uniformed, with a landmine strapped to his chest, he appears frightened while a Russian-speaking man – whose face is not shown – speaks to him, hurls racist insults at him and claims that they will use him as a “can opener” to break into the positions of the Ukrainian soldiers.
“It’s so traumatizing,” her mother now declares to the North American news network, who has not had the strength to watch that video, the story her daughter has told her is enough. Now, he agrees to speak to the press in the hope that news about the young man emerges or, at least, that others do not fall into the same trap. “I call on the governments of Kenya and Russia to collaborate and bring these children home,” he says. “They were lied to about real jobs and now they are at war and their lives are in danger,” he hurts.
As he explains, Francis is 35 years old, was unemployed and lived with his mother in a small community on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital. Before leaving, he had to pay about 525 euros to an agent to facilitate the job opportunity. His mother was shocked when Francis informed the family that he was being forced to undergo military training upon arriving in Russia. He was sent to Ukraine after just three weeks of basic training, he says. Nothing to do with the initial job offer.
Without translator, without lawyer, with deception
CNN, following this case, has carried out an investigation in which it confirms that it is by no means the only case. There are many “optimistic promises” made to Africans seeking employment that, in reality, lead to forced military service and bloody frontline fighting.
The North American media has reviewed “hundreds of chats on messaging applications, military contracts, visas, flights and hotel reservations, in addition to collecting first-hand testimonies from African fighters in Ukraine”, to understand how Russia attracts African men to join its ranks. And it highlights that it affects people of various nationalities, from Botswana to Uganda, from South Africa to Kenya. At least, that is the list of countries that have recognized the fraud.
Up to 12 people still in Ukraine have told of their experience, with many elements in common: they were offered civilian jobs, such as drivers or security guards, most were promised a hiring bonus of $13,000, monthly salaries of up to $3,500 and Russian citizenship at the end of their service.
However, upon arriving in the Russian Federation, they were forced to enlist in its Armed Forces and received little training before being deployed to the front of the neighboring country. All the papers they signed were in Russian, untranslated, and at no time did they have lawyers to assist them. “Some had their passports confiscated, making it virtually impossible for them to flee,” CNN adds.
“Although Russian law states that only foreigners who are fluent in the language can be soldiers, none of the Africans interviewed by CNN spoke Russian. Their salaries and bonuses differed from those offered to Russian soldiers, and even varied among recruits. Some even accused unscrupulous recruiting agents or Russian colleagues of stealing their bank accounts. CNN has requested comment from the Russian Defense Ministry,” the information adds.
The fine print also extends to civilian life: access to state secrets can lead to a ban on traveling abroad, the mandatory surrender of passports, restrictions on privacy and lifelong restrictions on disclosing sensitive information, but no one told them about that.
The remains of a Russian soldier, located near Robotyne, in the Zaporizhia region, southeastern Ukraine, on February 21, 2024.
brutal testimonies
Some particularly harsh testimonies appear in the report. “While we were at the front, a Russian soldier forced me to give him my bank card and PIN at gunpoint,” said one African fighter on condition of anonymity. When he checked, nearly $15,000 had been taken from his bonus, leaving his account nearly empty, he said. “I’ve been here for seven months and they haven’t paid me a single cent. They promise to check it, but they don’t do anything.” Four others who came to Russia with him have died, he confirms through tears.
“The war here is very intense and many people die on both sides,” the only African fighter who declared to CNN that he wanted to fulfill his contract said in a video message. “This was not the expectation of those who came to fight. They thought it would be easy for them as mercenaries,” he adds.
“As long as you join the Russian army, you escape or die,” said Patrick Kwoba, 39, a carpenter from Kenya who, in this case, was convinced by an African friend who was in the Russian army to enlist, after seeing how good he looked on social media.
Everyone complains, yes, about the racism with which they are treated on a daily basis. As if their forced labor was less valuable than that of a Russian.
