Russia Exploits African Migrants in War Effort With Promises of Passports and Jobs
Russia is recruiting young Africans into its war in Ukraine by luring them with false promises of legal residency, education, and well-paying jobs — and in some cases, citizenship, The Gaze reports, citing United24 Media.
In reality, many of these individuals are coerced into frontline combat with little to no training, in a growing pattern of exploitation that human rights advocates are calling a war crime.
Under a 2024 decree signed by Vladimir Putin, any foreigner who signs a one-year military contract is eligible for fast-track Russian citizenship. This has become a powerful recruitment tool targeting vulnerable African students and migrant workers already in Russia.
Without legal status, and sometimes facing deportation, many are pressured or tricked into joining the military.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence says recruits are offered initial payments of up to $2,000 but often find themselves in combat zones with minimal preparation. Some, like Zambian student Lemekhani Nathan Nyirenda and Togolese national Koulékpato Dosseh, were killed or captured in Ukraine.
Dosseh, now a POW, said he was told he would be given a support role in law enforcement, but was instead forced to sign a war contract in Russian, a language he couldn’t understand.
“The same day, they made us sign a contract,” Dosseh said. “Only later did we find out it was a war contract.”
Women have also reportedly been deceived — sent to military factories like those in Alabuga to assemble Shahed drones under inhumane conditions. According to investigative reports, hundreds of African women have been subjected to forced labor and abuse in military-linked facilities.
Russia’s new “Africa Corps,” a rebranding of Wagner-style operations, continues this trend. Billed as a peacekeeping mission, it is in fact a manpower reserve for Russia’s war, allowing Moscow to bypass domestic backlash to further mobilization.
Despite growing international awareness, Russia has shown little interest in repatriating captured African fighters, while their home countries often refuse to claim them, fearing political fallout or legal complications.
Read more on The Gaze: What Is North Korea’s Real Role in Russia’s War Against Ukraine?