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Russia Coerces African Migrants Into War After Luring Them With Fake Job Offers
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![Ivan_khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Russia is recruiting African migrants under false pretenses, offering them jobs in civilian industries before forcing them into military service or drone production, according to an investigation by The Telegraph on June 9.
One of the cases detailed involves 36-year-old Jean Onana from Cameroon, who arrived in Russia in March 2025 after being promised a well-paid job at a shampoo factory.
Upon arrival, he was detained along with a group of other foreign nationals from Bangladesh, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Instead of employment, they were told to sign military contracts and were deployed to the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Onana reportedly received five weeks of basic training in Rostov and Luhansk. His unit included several other foreign recruits from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Brazil.
After being sent to occupy a frontline bunker, an artillery strike killed all members of the group except Onana, who survived with injuries and was later captured by Ukrainian forces.
Another case involves 25-year-old Malik Diop from Senegal. According to Ukrainian military sources, he was approached by recruiters in a Russian shopping mall who offered him a kitchen job in Luhansk for a monthly salary of $5,700.
Within a week, he was issued a rifle and deployed to the front near Toretsk. He later deserted and was taken into Ukrainian custody.
Cameroonian social media channels have reported a growing number of missing persons believed to be among foreign recruits in Russia.
One online account has documented at least 67 Cameroonian casualties. Posts often include photos of individuals in Russian military uniforms and appeals from families seeking information on their whereabouts.
The Centre for Strategic and International Studies recently estimated that nearly one million Russian troops have been killed or wounded since the full-scale invasion began. With mounting losses and recruitment shortfalls, the Kremlin has expanded efforts to enlist foreigners.
According to The Telegraph, African nationals are being offered salaries up to £1,500 a month—far exceeding the £67 average monthly wage of a Cameroonian soldier.
In March 2025, the Cameroonian government imposed new restrictions on military personnel leaving the country amid concerns about desertions to join Russian forces.
In addition to combat roles, African women are reportedly being recruited into military-linked industries. A report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime states that hundreds of women, primarily from African countries, were hired under false pretenses to work at a facility producing Iranian Shahed drones in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Yelabuga, east of Moscow.
Recruits were promised education and stable jobs but were not informed that the plant was a military target.
Ukrainian strikes on the facility in April 2024 reportedly resulted in casualties among the workforce.
According to The Telegraph, Russia’s reliance on foreign labor—both in military service and defense manufacturing—is part of a broader strategy to address critical personnel shortages and maintain its military operations amid ongoing high casualty rates.
Earlier, Ukrainian intelligence disrupted Russian arms transfers in South Africa, tracked the Lady R ship, and supported anti-Wagner operations in Mali and Sudan.
