The Telegraph: African migrants tricked into joining Russia’s war in Ukraine

Dozens of African migrants have been lured to Russia by fake job adverts—only to be forced into fighting in the war in Ukraine.

Promised work in factories and high salaries, many end up on the front line with little training and no way back home, Caliber.Az reports, citing The Telegraph.

Jean Onana, a 36-year-old father of three from Cameroon, believed he was flying to Russia to make shampoo but was instead detained upon arrival in Moscow and ordered to sign a military contract

Within weeks, he was wounded in a Ukrainian bunker strike that killed all eight men in his unit. He survived by hiding in the rubble for six days before being captured by Ukrainian forces.

He is one of hundreds—possibly thousands—of Africans who have been misled, pressured or even forced into joining Russia’s invasion.

While most recruits are still poor Russians, Moscow is now targeting desperate migrants from Africa, Asia and Latin America to fill gaps left by mounting casualties.

Nearly one million Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began, according to a U.S. think tank.

Some Africans are promised non-combat jobs, like kitchen work, only to be handed weapons and sent to the front.

One such case is Malik Diop, 25, from Senegal. Recruited while studying in Russia, he was told he would work as a dishwasher for $5,700 a month. Instead, he was sent to the front line with grenades and a gun. He later deserted and was captured after two days on the run.

Many African families are now searching for missing relatives. Cameroonian social media channels have been flooded with posts asking about sons, brothers and friends who left for Russia and never returned. A popular account tracking deaths says at least 67 Cameroonians have died.

Others, including women, are being sent to Russian factories to build Iranian-made drones, often without being told the nature of their work. Some were injured in an April 2024 Ukrainian drone strike on one such facility.

Driven by poverty and the promise of high pay—often more than 20 times their home salaries—many Africans feel they have little choice.

Raoul Sumo Tayo, a researcher in South Africa, said it’s not about supporting Russia, but survival: “They say it’s better for us to fight and save money for our families.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev