Zimbabwe's Information Minister Zhemu Soda said the victims were targeted by fraudulent employment agencies using social media, which promised attractive salaries and safe working conditions. Instead, recruits had their travel documents confiscated and were coerced into combat with little training. The government is now working to bring home 66 other Zimbabweans still alive in the war zone.
Similar cases have been reported in South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, where nationals were tricked into traveling to Russia with false promises of work. Ukrainian officials estimate that more than 1,700 Africans may have been fraudulently recruited to fight for Russia. A February report by All Eyes on Wagner found that over 300 African draftees had died during a 32-month period, with fighters originating from 36 African countries, including South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.
Cameroon has been particularly hard hit, with Russia confirming to Cameroon's government that 16 Cameroonians were killed fighting in Ukraine. Independent monitors suggest the 16 Cameroonian deaths may be only a fraction of the true number, and at least 94 of the 335 Cameroonian fighters have died, according to the All Eyes on Wagner report. A leaked diplomatic note from Cameroon's foreign ministry to the Russian embassy described the 16 dead as 'military contractors', and the ministry sent a statement to broadcaster CRTV listing names of 16 Cameroonians resident in Russia, asking relatives to get in touch.
Cameroon's defence minister expressed concern in an internal memo about soldiers leaving to fight in Ukraine and asked officers to monitor units. In South Africa, 11 men returned home after allegedly being recruited to Russia under the pretense of security training, while two South Africans were killed in the conflict. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, is under police investigation for her alleged role in recruiting South Africans.
An intelligence report in Kenya stated that as many as 1,000 Kenyans were recruited with promises of jobs before being sent to the front line in Ukraine, and at least one Kenyan had died. Kenya's foreign minister said more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans had been closed, while 16 Kenyans are missing in Russia and 47 have returned home from the front. Ghana says at least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war.
Recruitment networks have targeted workers in Africa and Asia through social media advertisements and private agencies, offering work-study programmes or civilian jobs that later turned into military contracts. Some recruits said their passports were confiscated and they were forced to fight with little training. Russia is enticing Africans with promises of education, employment and high pay, then redirecting them to combat units.
The recruitment drive comes as Russia faces a severe manpower crisis. Over 35,300 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded at the beginning of April, according to Volodymyr Zelensky, and Russia lost 35,000 troops in December 2025 alone. 2 million troops over the four-year war, and it is losing troops faster than it can replace them, driving recruitment of African mercenaries.
The push for African recruits suggests the Kremlin is trying to replenish manpower without another mass call-up. Putin initially insisted the invasion be carried out by professional forces alone, but later endorsed bringing in foreign volunteers. The fraudulent recruitment is not limited to Africa.
Peruvian prosecutors have launched an investigation into a suspected trafficking network that lured Peruvians to Russia with lucrative job offers, then forced them to fight in Ukraine. At least 13 Peruvians have been killed in the Ukraine war, according to a lawyer representing victims' families, and around 600 Peruvians have been lured to Russia since October. Russia's embassy in Lima confirmed Peruvians have joined the Russian military but claims it was voluntary.