Russia recruits gamers via online games for war against Ukraine
Russia is using online gaming platforms as a tool to recruit foreign mercenaries, focusing on young players of the military simulator Arma 3.
According to Bloomberg, through the popular gaming app Discord, a recruiter under the nickname @Dash persuaded at least two South African residents, around 20 years old, to participate in combat operations.
The men flew to Russia on 29 July via the UAE, visiting the Russian consulate in Cape Town beforehand. In early September, they signed one-year contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence, receiving promises of high pay, Russian citizenship, and future education.
Investigations show that one of the recruited South Africans, after brief basic training, was sent to Luhansk as a grenade launcher assistant. His family received a medical certificate dated 10 January 2025, confirming he died on 23 October 2024 during a combat mission near the village of Verkhniokamyanka. The fate of the other man remains unknown, and official South African authorities and Russian diplomatic missions have declined to comment.
This case is part of a wider scandal: the elite South African police unit Hawks is investigating a recruitment network potentially linked to the daughter of former President Jacob Zuma.
The recruitment scheme often relies on deception — recruits are offered contracts in Russian, told they are for security work or training, but within weeks are sent to the frontlines in high-risk assaults. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries are currently serving in the Russian army, with most dying within the first month of service.
While Russia blocks Discord domestically, it continues to use the platform abroad to find “cannon fodder,” disregarding international law and the national legislation of other countries.
In December alone, Russia recruited over 150 foreign nationals from 25 countries, with another ~200 preparing to join, according to the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleh Ivashchenko.
In Kenya, authorities uncovered a network recruiting people for Russia’s occupying forces.
