Kyiv has raised the alarm, claiming that more than 1,400 Africans from 36 countries are currently fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine — part of Moscow’s so-called “meat assaults” on the frontlines.
Ukrainian officials described the recruitment as exploitative and deadly, warning that the contracts offered to foreign fighters are effectively “death sentences” in a war zone.
The revelations have prompted South Africa and Kenya to launch investigations into reports that their citizens were misled or coerced into joining Russian mercenary groups, highlighting a disturbing international dimension to the conflict.
Analysts say the use of foreign fighters underscores Russia’s manpower challenges in the war, while raising serious ethical and legal concerns about the recruitment of vulnerable individuals from Africa for frontline combat.
Kyiv has called on the international community to condemn the practice and protect citizens from being lured into what it describes as Moscow’s deadly mercenary operations.
Source:AfricanHub
