Russia has already recruited 2,965 Africans from 36 countries to fight in the war against Ukraine — Foreign Ministry
As of May 2026, at least 2,965 citizens from 36 countries on the African continent were fighting or continue to fight against Ukraine as part of the Russian occupation army.
This was stated by Lyubov Abravitova, Director of the Department of Africa and Regional African Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, in an exclusive interview with the publication “Ukrinform.”
In total, the military leadership in Moscow expects to recruit and send approximately 18,500 foreign citizens to the front lines this year.
The situation regarding the active recruitment of foreigners in crisis regions around the world remains consistently tense and is being monitored by the Ukrainian side.
“The situation is quite complex. According to data from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, as of May 1, 2026, at least 2,965 citizens from 36 African countries are fighting or have fought as part of the Russian army against Ukraine,” said Abravitova.
She also added that, according to experts’ estimates, the actual figure is significantly higher, and among the main “manpower-supplying countries” in Africa, Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Uganda stand out clearly.
To recruit the poor into the armed forces, the Russian Federation has launched a large-scale and extensive recruitment campaign.
“The trend is extremely alarming: by 2026, the Russian command plans to recruit 18,500 foreigners. Russia uses various recruitment mechanisms—from misleading people with promises of ‘free scholarships’ to recruiting through religious organizations,” the diplomat noted.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is forced to respond promptly to these challenges and work individually with the government on each specific case.
In a number of countries, diplomats have managed to establish substantive dialogue and find joint solutions to effectively counter this phenomenon.
As a successful example, she cited the official visit by Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, following which the parties reached specific agreements on next steps.
At the same time, far from all countries on the continent demonstrate a willingness to engage in open and systematic security cooperation with the Ukrainian government.
In some countries, such as Nigeria, despite the documented large number of citizens recruited by Russia, there is currently a lack of systematic political engagement to address this issue.
Despite this, the general sentiment among political elites and society in the region is gradually shifting in Ukraine’s favor.
Russia has recruited at least 27,000 foreigners into the war against Ukraine, according to human rights activists
As a reminder, the SBU is issuing warnings about enemy recruitment following the terrorist attack in Bucha.
The Kremlin has also implemented a hybrid scheme for covertly recruiting foreigners for the war.
