Families of Kenyans fighting for Russia demand their return

Earlier this month, Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi said some of the Kenyans fighting for Russia are former members of Kenya’s armed forces. “It is estimated that recruitment networks are still active in both Kenya and Russia. The Kenyan embassy in Moscow has reported injuries among Kenyan nationals, and others, [who are] stranded [in Russia],” he said.

Unemployment and tough economic conditions at home are among the main reasons why many young Kenyans are seeking opportunities in foreign countries. Young people aged between 15 to 35 years old, who make up 35% of the country’s population, face the largest unemployment rate at 67%, according to the Federation of Kenya Employers.

What began as unconfirmed reports of Africans going missing in Russia has now evolved into a worrying pattern across the continent. Moscow is recruiting Africans to plug manpower gaps in its war against Ukraine at relatively low cost.

In the Kibera neighborhood of Nairobi, [David], who asked not to use his real name to protect his family, told Semafor about the month he spent fighting for Russia in Shebekino, a Russian town close to the Ukrainian border. “I kept seeing death all around me. There were bomb attacks all around us. When a missile hit us while in the front lines in Shebekino, only two of us survived. Me, and a Nigerian guy,” said the 23-year-old, who showed Semafor what he said was Russian military identification, as well as video footage and pictures to support his account.

David explained that he left Kenya because he couldn’t find a job. With the promise of a payout of $18,000, his friend introduced him via a messaging platform to a local agent who facilitated his travel to St Petersburg via Istanbul, along with five other young men. He said he signed a contract saying he had voluntarily agreed to fight for the Russian army for one year, and was then issued with a bank account as well as a Russian military ID and number.

“Our training took three weeks after which we were separated and deployed to the front lines in different regions,” said David. “This is when everything changed. I still don’t sleep well from the things I saw in the front line.” He managed to escape around a month into his job, and in September found his way to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow, which then facilitated his return home.

Natariana Kilonzo, an international relations lecturer at the University of Nairobi, points to the voluntary nature of the recruitment contracts being signed by young Africans. “Russia can argue that it is voluntary enlisting and this can mean some of the Africans are willing to fight alongside Russia,” she told Semafor, adding that Moscow can also say it is the work of rogue agents rather than the state.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said in November that South African men were being lured into joining mercenary forces, although it was not clear which side the men were fighting on, and issued a warning over job adverts backed by social media influencers.

Daniel Van Dyke, a senior country risk analyst at Signal Risk in South Africa, said it was impossible for Kenyan and South African governments to gain anything from such recruitment. “In Kenya, it seems the government is doing something about it, but here in South Africa it is different as we are yet to see any meaningful efforts in reaching out to Russia to stop this.” He added that “there might be some apprehension as South Africa has ties to Russia, especially given that it appears many people were tricked into going by domestic actors.”