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Russia Uses More Kenyan Nationals in Front-Line Assaults, Several Killed
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Russian forces have again deployed foreign recruits in high-risk assault operations, this time involving a group of Kenyan nationals, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) said on April 23.
According to HUR, several Kenyan citizens were killed while taking part in front-line assaults. One of them was identified by the “I Want to Live” project as Eric Mwangi Nyambura, born in 2003.
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“African recruits are treated as expendable by Russian forces. Another group of Kenyan citizens was eliminated in combat,” the agency said.
Ukrainian officials said Nyambura arrived in the Russian city of Yaroslavl in late October 2025 along with three other Kenyan nationals—Joseph Kamau Wanjiru, Joel Ngure Karithi, and Ronald Kipkurui Kibet.
Around the same time, two additional Kenyan recruits, Denis Bagaku Ombwori and Simon Gititu Wahome, were also reported to have entered Russia, according to earlier intelligence disclosures.
After signing contracts with the Russian military, the recruits underwent approximately one and a half weeks of training before being assigned roles. Nyambura was initially designated as a radiotelephone operator but was later reassigned to an assault unit and sent to the front.
He was deployed in offensive operations near the settlement of Borova in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region earlier this year.
Preliminary reports indicate that he was killed by Ukrainian mortar fire while attempting to cross what was described as a “kill zone.”
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HUR says that despite reported agreements between Moscow and several African countries to curb recruitment, the practice continues. Authorities have identified at least 2,965 citizens from African nations who have signed contracts with the Russian military.
The largest numbers of recruits are believed to come from Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, Mali, South Sudan, and South Africa.
According to HUR, as of August 2025, at least 316 African recruits fighting for Russia had been confirmed killed, though Ukrainian officials believe the actual number is significantly higher.
Ukrainian intelligence warned foreign nationals against traveling to Russia or accepting employment there.
“Traveling to Russia is a real chance to end up in a ‘suicide assault’ unit and ultimately be buried in Ukrainian soil,” the agency said.
Earlier, several Russian soldiers, including a Kenyan national and individuals recruited from Russian prisons, surrendered to Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region after being tracked and directed by aerial drones.
The soldiers gave themselves up over the course of two days after realizing they had been abandoned by their command.
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