More than 1,400 citizens from dozens of African countries are fighting on the side of Russian forces in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga said on Monday, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Ukrainian officials say Russia has tried to provide reinforcements to forces attacking its smaller neighbor by recruiting fighters from different countries, sometimes through deception.
Andriy Sibiga said Russia is luring Africans into signing contracts he described as "tantamount to a death sentence", and urged African governments to warn their citizens.
"Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate", he wrote in "Ex". "Most of them are immediately sent like cannon fodder to the front, where they are quickly killed".
South Africa said yesterday it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined the mercenary forces after the men sent distress signals to return home.
And Kenya said last month that some of its citizens were being held in military camps across Russia after unknowingly becoming involved in the conflict.
Sibiha said the total number of African recruits could be higher than identified 1,436, originating from 36 countries, and that most of the foreign mercenaries detained in Ukraine were captured during their first combat mission.
He added that Ukraine would provide more specific information about the countries and regions from which Russia recruited soldiers.