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From Shampoo Factory to Battlefield: Cameroonian POWs Say Russia Deceived Them Into War
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukrainian forces have captured two Cameroonian citizens fighting for Russia near the Siversk front, the Ukrainian K-2 drone unit from the 20th Separate UAV Regiment reported on June 30.
The detainees—identified as Metougouena Ouna-na Jean Pafe and Anatole Frank—claim they were misled and coerced into joining the Russian military.
According to Jean Pafe, he traveled to Russia under the impression he had secured work at a shampoo factory. “They forced me into the army,” he said in a video interview.
Anatole Frank gave an even more surreal account. He said he flew to Moscow in 2024 for a short, 18-day trip to receive dental treatment.
“To my surprise, the migration service called me and other men into an office,” Frank recalled. “They took my fingerprints and a dental mold. Then they told me what I had to do—I refused. They blocked me from leaving and didn’t allow me to return home.”
Despite their initial resistance, both men eventually signed contracts with the Russian military, each reportedly offered 1.1 million rubles (roughly $12,000).
While this is far less than what Russian citizens receive, it was a significant sum by Cameroonian standards, according to the Ukrainian regiment that captured them.
The two were taken prisoner near Siversk, a contested area in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials say this is not the first instance of foreign nationals being captured while fighting for Russia.
Previous detainees have included at least one Yemeni citizen, and the Cameroonian captives claim there are fighters from China, Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh currently deployed along the same frontline.
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is expanding its recruitment of foreign nationals—often through coercive or deceptive means—as it struggles to replenish its ranks amid high battlefield losses.
Earlier, reports emerged that Russia was recruiting African migrants under false pretenses, offering them jobs in civilian industries before forcing them into military service or drone production.
