Russia is expanding its recruitment campaign in Africa to fill a shortage of personnel in its armed forces and is turning to more and more poor countries after Kenya, Botswana, Ghana and South Africa issued warnings to their citizens. The information comes from the "Bloomberg" agency, which refers to sources familiar with the activities of Ukrainian intelligence.
In the first nine months of this year, Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone were among the countries where recruitment was carried out. The initiative was aimed at "compensating for huge losses and the shortage of people for mobilization".
"Bloomberg" reminds us that the Kremlin has never publicly acknowledged the use of foreigners for the war in Ukraine.
For the first time, recruitment is also taking place in Madagascar
Due to the relative poverty of a number of African countries, attracting their residents to Russia, often with the help of false promises of work in the civilian sector, is easier.
From January 1 to September 30, Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi (while for the whole of 2025 there were 30) and 530 citizens of Zimbabwe (against 65 last year). Other countries where a significant increase in recruits has been noted include Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon.
Recruitment has also begun for the first time in Madagascar, the data show. Last year, a military coup took place in the country, which brought to power the military, which had established closer ties with Moscow, including on the basis of equipment and food supplies received from Russia.
Lies, coercion, high salaries
The independent international commission of inquiry into crimes during the war in Ukraine published a report on October 26, saying that Russian authorities "trafficked people from 29 countries, using lies or coercion, to recruit them into the Russian armed forces."
According to relatives and a September report by "Amnesty International", recruits from Africa were offered significant bonuses when signing contracts and high salaries, as well as the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship.
African countries are trying to stop recruitment
Russia's attempts to recruit Africans to fight in the war are causing growing concern among governments on the continent. Botswana and South Africa have warned their citizens about the dangers of high-paying jobs in Russia, and Zimbabwean authorities have detained two Russians on suspicion of recruiting for the army.
Botswana's foreign minister said on October 26 that 15 of the country's recruited citizens were missing. The government has contacted Ukrainian and Russian authorities to clarify their fates. The governments of Kenya and Ghana have directly called on Moscow to stop recruiting their citizens. According to Kenyan politicians, Russia may have recruited as many as 1,000 of its citizens.
"Bloomberg" also reported that in at least nine African countries Russia has stopped recruiting military personnel - it is seeking to hire citizens from these countries to work in the defense industry.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, 45,959 foreigners from 151 countries have signed contracts with the Russian armed forces. 5,451 of them are citizens of African countries.