Russian Troops Accused of Hazing African Mercenary, Forcing Him Forward With Mine Attached, Video

Anton Gerashchenko, a former deputy minister at Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, posted a video on his X account that he described as showing a Russian soldier humiliating an African mercenary on January 9.

In the video, a Russian serviceman humiliates an African fighter by strapping an anti-tank mine to him in what the narration frames as a cruel prank or punishment. Gerashchenko did not provide details on where or when the video was recorded.

According to Gerashchenko, the fighter was later pushed toward an assault, described as a “storm,” or unspecified “special tasks,” and warned that Ukrainian units would defend themselves against any such combatants.

Human rights researchers have long documented a hazing culture in parts of Russia’s armed forces, often referred to as “dedovshchina,” in which junior servicemen are subjected to intimidation, coercion, and humiliating treatment by superiors or longer-serving soldiers.

Human Rights Watch has described the practice as systematic abuse of new recruits, while more recent assessments of Russian military culture have said persistent problems linked to hazing have continued to affect the force.

Earlier, it was reported that African migrants in Russia were allegedly lured with promises of civilian jobs and then coerced into military service or drone production, including a Cameroonian man who said he was promised factory work.

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