Over 1,000 Kenyans Lured To Fight For Russia In Ukraine War: Report

Last Updated:February 19, 2026, 22:58 IST

More than ,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine, with agencies targeting vulnerable groups. Russia denies involvement as Kenya and South Africa raise concerns.

More than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to an intelligence report presented to Kenya’s parliament, underscoring the scale of an alleged covert recruitment network targeting African nationals.

Kenya’s Assembly Majority Leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, told MPs that “rogue recruitment agencies and individuals in Kenya" were continuing to send citizens to the conflict zone. He was presenting findings from an investigation conducted by the Intelligence Service.

The figure marks a sharp rise from November, when Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry said more than 200 Kenyans had travelled to fight in the war.

Targeting The Vulnerable

According to the report, recruitment agencies have been targeting former military personnel, police officers and civilians aged between their mid-20s and 50s who are seeking employment opportunities abroad.

Recruits were allegedly promised monthly salaries of about 350,000 Kenyan shillings (around £2,000), bonuses ranging from 900,000 to 1.2 million shillings, and the prospect of Russian citizenship.

The intelligence report also accused the agencies of colluding with officials from several Kenyan government bodies, including the Directorate of Immigration Services, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and its Anti-Narcotics Unit, and the Employment Authority, to avoid interception at Nairobi’s international airport.

It further alleged that the agencies worked with staff at the Russian embassy in Kenya and the Kenyan embassy in Moscow to secure Russian visitor visas for the recruits.

Russia Denies Allegations

In response, the Embassy of Russia in Kenya denied any involvement in recruiting Kenyan nationals to fight in Ukraine, calling the claims part of a “dangerous and misleading propaganda campaign."

“The government authorities of Russia have never engaged in illegal recruitment of Kenyan citizens in the armed forces of the Russian Federation," the embassy said in a statement posted on X.

Casualties And Repatriations

The report noted that due to tighter airport screening in Kenya, recruits have begun travelling through neighbouring countries, including Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa.

As of February, 39 Kenyans had been hospitalised, 30 repatriated, 28 were missing in action, 35 remained in military camps or bases, 89 were on the frontline, one had been detained, and one had completed their contract.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in November that more than 1,400 individuals from 36 African countries were fighting for Russia in Ukraine, with many captured as prisoners of war.

Diplomatic Concerns

Kenya’s Foreign Minister, Musalia Mudavadi, is expected to visit Russia next month to address what he described as the “unacceptable and clandestine" recruitment of Kenyan nationals.

The issue has also surfaced in South Africa. Four South Africans recently returned home from Russia after allegedly being tricked into joining the conflict. They were part of a group reportedly linked to Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma.

South Africa’s Foreign Minister, Ronald Lamola, said the situation remained complex because the recruits were allegedly lured by a private security contractor rather than directly enlisted into the Russian army.

The revelations have intensified concerns across African nations about the exploitation of vulnerable job seekers in the ongoing war.

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