An estimated 1,800 African men (17 South African, 272 Ghanaian, and over 1,000 Kenyan) have reportedly signed contracts to work in Russia as drivers, security guards, and other civilian jobs only to find themselves shipped off to the frontlines of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Countries across the continent are experiencing increased backlash from families who have been unable to reach their loved ones for months or, worse yet, unable to locate their bodies for burial. It all began with a classified report from the National Intelligence Service in Kenya that disclosed that state officials had colluded with Russian traffickers in this effort and even pointed to the involvement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, which vehemently denies the accusations. Since this issue came to light, propaganda videos from “influencers” glamorizing the situation have also come to the fore. To take a closer look at what is happening, we must begin with an analysis of a preemptive shift in Russian citizenship laws.
Russia’s Decree No. 821
In November of 2025, Decree No. 821 was quietly signed into law. The measure forces foreigners already living in Russia to choose between conscription and leaving the country, mandating at least one year of military service to apply for permanent residency. Unnaturalized foreigners seeking citizenship must present proof of service with the military or the Emergency Situations Ministry, or a certificate of excuse. Decree No. 821 canceled out the former status quo, Decree No. 10, which simplified the path for military recruits–as well as citizens of post-Soviet countries–to obtain Russian citizenship, but did not mandate military service. In conjunction with the decree, the state also began to target migrants with new laws labeling certain activities as “extremism” or “threats to security,” for which the punishment is expulsion, increasing pressure on them to find legal security through military service. Some of these activities include using uncertified websites and databases or holding religious services in private residences. These legal amendments came into play at a time when Russia’s death toll from its war in Ukraine reached 325,000 men, and casualties totaled 1.2 million. Notably, the updated citizenship guidelines do not apply to Belarus, Russia’s close ally.
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Following Decree No. 821, Russia openly increased military recruitment propaganda campaigns on TikTok, Facebook, Telegram, YouTube, and VKontakte (a Russian version of Facebook. Although the campaigns are clear in stating that the work opportunities are military-related, they tout benefits that some individuals never receive. Promoted opportunities include one-year service contracts with a monthly stipend of 204,000 rubles (about $2,500), a signing bonus of 2-3 million rubles (about $24,630 – $37,000), and citizenship eligibility for the applicant and his or her family. While recruitment primarily targets men, it also reaches women, enticing them into positions in drone assembly and factory work.
Though direct military recruitment clearly increased–with 33 percent of recruitment efforts targeting foreigners in 2025, up from only 7 percent in 2024–the main issue young Africans face is signing onto military positions falsely advertised as civilian opportunities. Conservative estimates find that nearly 2,000 African men were promised a similar set of benefits for signing contracts to be drivers, cleaners, security guards, mechanics, and other roles: a monthly stipend of 179,300 rubles (about $2,200), a signing bonus of 1,059,600 rubles (about $13,000), and Russian citizenship. Deceptive postings appeared on advertising boards for civilian jobs like VisaPlus7, various social media platforms, and were shared through fake employment agencies. Upon inquiring, the men found themselves in coercive situations, pressured to sign contracts written in Russian without a translator present. Soon thereafter, they were sent to the frontlines of Russia’s war in Ukraine, after receiving anywhere from 1.5 to three weeks of basic training. Decree No. 821 opened the pathway for Russia to claim that the African soldiers willingly joined the Russian military for employment and legal status, deeming them “volunteers“. One fortunate Kenyan national, Patrick Kwabe, escaped to Nairobi during his service. He is quoted as saying, “You need to escape, or you die. There are only two ways.”
A Case for Human Trafficking
Russia’s new system of deceptive “military recruitment” provides grounds to be labeled as a human trafficking case. The United Nations defines human trafficking as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud, or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit, often using fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce victims.” The lack of transparency for what role the reported African men are signing up for, the language barrier in their contracts to keep them in the dark, and the false promises of high-paying employment and university opportunities all align directly with the UN definition. The lives of these men are expendable to the Russian military, which has already faced over 1 million reported casualties. Russia aims to increase its military force by over 400,000 personnel in 2026 and is turning to countries with limited job opportunities to replace its growing personnel deficiencies.
Why African Soldiers?
Russia also traffics fighters from the Middle East and Asia, but why do men from 36 African countries find themselves being used as “cannon fodder” for the war? Africa is one of the youngest continents in the world, with people under age 25 making up 60 percent of the population. Approximately 12 million young Africans enter the labor market each year, but only three million secure formal employment, leaving the rest to enter the informal sector. Given this context, it is unsurprising that offers of secure employment and citizenship for the whole family are enticing. The 2025 youth unemployment statistics from three countries spearheading the fight against Russia trafficking African men to the battlefield are as follows: Ghana at 32 percent, Kenya at 67 percent, and South Africa at 62.4 percent. In environments with limited opportunities, African men find themselves more susceptible to trafficking, and Russia finds itself with a large pool of vulnerable people it can target.
Attempting Diplomacy
Ghana
For Ghanaians, efforts to combat Russia’s deceptive military recruitment are ongoing. Of the 272 Ghanaian men confirmed to have been lured to the Russian frontlines, 55 are pronounced deceased. On March 15, 2026, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that the foreign ministries of Ghana and Russia will cooperate to resolve issues surrounding the enlistment of Ghanaian youth, though the announcement was only shared on social media and does not elaborate further. A February meeting between Ablakwa and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed efforts to protect Ghanaian youth who are being deceived and sent to war. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha also met with Ablakwa to discuss the return of two Ghanaian prisoners of war who were captured while fighting for Russia. Though the two men have been confirmed to be alive and in good health, they have not yet been released, and Ablakwa is continuing discussions with Ukraine to get them home. No further updates on talks with Russia have been shared.
Kenya
Following reports of over 1,000 Kenyans being recruited to fight in Russia, on March 16, Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to stop enlisting Kenyan nationals to fight in the war. While news outlets focus on the uplifting update, the fact is, in a recent Facebook post, Lavrov is heard saying that foreign soldiers are fighting voluntarily and will not have the need to be repatriated once their contracts are completed. Russia’s military allows foreign citizens to voluntarily enlist, providing the government with a convenient loophole, as it can demonstrate “willing” signatures from soldiers deceived into fighting. To maintain positive bilateral relations following the March 16 meeting, Kenya is focusing on shutting down recruitment agencies that run the trafficking operations and banning its citizens from enlisting in the Russian military. In response to the enlistment ban, Russia passed a law last month that protects foreigners from extradition to their home countries, rendering the ban ineffective.
South Africa
The situation in South Africa differs from that in Ghana and Kenya. In February, Russia returned 15 of the 17 lured South African men at the request of President Cyril Ramaphosa after he received their distress calls made from the Donbas region. Two of the men remain in Russia: one is receiving medical treatment, and the other is undergoing travel processing. Like Kenya, South Africa has a law banning enlistment in foreign armies. This law has drawn legal scrutiny of repatriates who are now being questioned to determine if they were truly misled and, more importantly, to identify the people who organized their travel.
Another factor is at play in South Africa: one of the accused participants in the trafficking operation is a former Member of Parliament. Duduzila Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, was accused by her sister of participating in the operations. In a sworn affidavit, Zuma-Sambudla claimed she was tricked and believed she was sharing an opportunity for non-combat, paramilitary training, which she herself had previously taken part in.
The enlisted men, including the 17 from South Africa and an additional two from Botswana, were told they’d undergo training for the uMkhonto-weSiizwe (MK) Party and would receive the benefit of attending Russian universities afterward. Instead, they were sent to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine. Accounts from the families of the affected men say they were directly persuaded by Zuma-Sambudla to go to Russia. Prior to Ramaphosa’s successful diplomatic efforts, former President Zuma and his daughter traveled to Russia to discuss their return with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but were unable to get a meeting with him. Though the investigation is still ongoing, half of the South Africans recruited were relatives of the Zuma family, which could lend credibility to Zuma-Sambudla. However, it is still all too possible that she trafficked members of her own family. As Zuma-Sambudla remains a polarizing figure in the country, the elements surrounding her case could affect the public’s perception of the human trafficking issue, instead viewing it as a political matter with a former MP facing the direct fallout rather than focusing on the victims themselves.
Russia’s Ratings
Increased calls from victims’ families–and subsequently their governments–to stop human trafficking across African countries signal growing mistrust about travel to, opportunities in, and ties with Russia. A recently published Afrobarometer survey (conducted from 2024 to 2025) shows that among all the foreign actors operating in Africa, Russia consistently rates lowest in popularity. Among the three countries in this article, South Africa has the most positive views of Russia at 40 percent, while Ghana and Kenya both rank around 25 percent. These numbers will likely decrease further as more families expose the nefarious recruiting operations.
Despite this, there are no clear signs that the affected governments officially seek to break ties or distance themselves from Russia. Instead, they have all acted to maintain positive relations with Russia: the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned the trafficking issue only in passing and labeled it “youth enlistment” in a statement issued following a technical session with Russia. In the meeting between Kenya’s and Russia’s Foreign Ministers, Mudavadi stated, “We do not want for any reason our partnership with Russia to be defined from the lens of the special operation [in Ukraine] agenda. The relationship between Kenya and Russia is much broader than that.” Lastly, the South African Government expressed “heartfelt gratitude” toward Russia for returning its men without placing any blame on the country for luring them in the first place.
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Support Against Trafficking
Despite the absence of any break in Africa’s ties with Russia, the trafficking operations provide an opening for the continent’s allies to act. The European Parliament has already taken action by submitting a joint motion calling for a resolution on the trafficking issue, condemning Russia’s actions, demanding sanctions on individuals and entities aiding the recruitment, and urging member states to bilaterally engage with the African Union. Member states are already utilizing the label of “human trafficking” as a basis for national prosecutors to track victims’ movements across EU states on the way to Russia, and have also urged technology company Meta to remove thousands of false job schemes across its platforms, to which it obliged. The European Parliament also plans to cooperate with respective embassies to secure the return of the deceived men, and the United States should follow suit. One avenue to do so is through the US Africa Command’s Combating Trafficking in Persons program, which provides informational campaigns, policy enhancements, and training for foreign government officials in human trafficking awareness. Using a mechanism already in place, the US military could work with embassy partners to prevent further cases. Additionally, private sector collaboration is a powerful resource to utilize. Non-governmental organizations could support governments and institutions in recording the victims. One such effort is already underway at Swiss-based INPACT (All Eyes on Wagner), which tracks victims lured into the Russian army with contributions from digital protection companies and other non-governmental organizations.
As this situation continues to unfold, to appropriately act, the international community must collectively acknowledge that the deceived men are victims of human trafficking, being exploited as disposable soldiers on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine. While African governments balance maintaining healthy relations with Russia and protecting their own, the time to provide support in dismantling “recruitment” networks is now.
Image: Five suspects appear at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court for allegedly contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act by planning to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine, in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 1, 2025. (REUTERS/Oupa Nkosi)
Sarahelena Marrapodi is the Communications Coordinator at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) and a recent graduate of the College of William and Mary, where she studied International Relations and Italian.