215 Nigerians recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine, fifth highest in Africa, says Ukrainian agency

215 Nigerians recruited by Russia to fight in Ukraine, fifth highest in Africa, says Ukrainian agency

Nigeria ranks fifth among African countries in the number of citizens recruited into the Russian armed forces to fight in the war against Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian government-run agency.

Citing compilations from local media reports, StopRussianRecruiters.org, the agency partly run by Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said at least 215 Nigerians have been recruited into the Russian army, with at least 25 confirmed dead or missing.

One of those confirmed dead was Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, a 34-year-old former Nigerian naval officer whose death was announced by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence in May.

Victor had signed a military contract only in February, just a week after Nigeria’s foreign ministry expressed concern over the recruitment of Nigerians into the Russian armed forces.

The report follows an announcement by the Ukrainian authorities that two other Nigerians, Hamzat Kolawole and Mbah Udoka, had been killed while fighting for Russia.

In a statement, the authorities said bodies of both of men were found in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.

The statement said both Nigerians were killed in late November in a drone strike while attempting to raid Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. Neither of the men had received adequate military training before their deployment, according to the statement.

African recruits are reportedly lured to Russia with the promise of “security jobs” but often end up on Russian frontlines with minimal training.

StopRussianRecruiters.org ranked Cameroon as the most affected African country, followed by Ghana and Egypt in second and third place respectively. Kenya ranked fourth, ahead of Nigeria in fifth place.

Russia has denied knowledge of facilitating the recruitments of Africans for the war.