76 Kenyans killed fighting for Russia as Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria recruits also identified

At least 76 Kenyans recruited into Russia’s armed forces have been confirmed dead while fighting in the war against Ukraine, with hundreds more cases documented across Africa, according to an investigation by Journalists for Justice (JFJ).

The investigation, titled ‘Death Contracts: How Russia Recruits Africans to Fight and Die in Ukraine,’ documented 841 Kenyan nationals among at least 3,066 Africans from 40 countries who enlisted in Russia’s armed forces between October 2022 and June 2026.

Of the recruits identified across the continent, 502 had been confirmed dead by the end of June 2026, while the fate of more than 2,500 remained unconfirmed.

Kenya recorded the highest number of identified recruits in the investigation, with the country’s National Intelligence Service telling Parliament in February 2026 that the actual number of Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia exceeded 1,000.

The report, published by ‘Stop Russian Recruiters’ organization on October 9, 2026, says recruitment networks have lured Africans with promises of civilian employment before directing them into military service.

According to the investigation, recruits are often promised jobs in security and logistics but are made to sign military contracts written in Russian after arriving in the country.

Some reportedly have their passports confiscated, while financial arrangements make it difficult for them to leave.

In Kenya, the investigation identified licensed employment agencies operating under the government-backed ‘Kazi Majuu’ labour-export programme as part of the recruitment pipeline.

The investigation further reported that a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) raid on a safe house in Athi River in September 2025 found 22 men awaiting travel under the care of recruiters.

The report said Kenya had recorded at least 76 confirmed deaths among its recruits, with Oscar Khagola Mutoka, 39, the first identified Kenyan to be killed, in August 2025.

Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria

Beyond Kenya, the investigation identified 337 Ghanaian nationals recruited into Russia’s armed forces, 214 Nigerians and 108 Ugandans.

Ghana’s recruitment network reportedly operated through a system in which recruits paid their own Visa and travel expenses, including broker fees of between US$5,000 (Ksh.648,650) and US$7,000 (Ksh.908,110).

The investigation traced one of the earliest documented Ghanaian recruitment cases to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where a Ghanaian businessman reportedly met an Indian national representing Russia’s Ministry of Defence. The two subsequently recruited 20 Ghanaians, according to the report.

In Nigeria, the 214 identified recruits were linked in part to Alabuga Start, a Russian programme associated with a drone-production special economic zone in Tatarstan.

The investigation documented two confirmed deaths among Nigerian recruits: Hamzat Kazeen Kolawale, 42, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, 37, who were killed in a drone strike in Ukraine’s Luhansk region in November 2025.

Udoka reportedly signed his contract on September 28, 2025, and was deployed to the front line five days later, without documented training.

Uganda’s 108 identified cases were linked to a recruitment structure operating under the corporate name Magnit, according to the investigation.

In August 2025, nine Ugandan men were intercepted at Entebbe International Airport before boarding flights to Moscow. The Russian national identified as the operation’s lead coordinator was arrested and subsequently released.

The report also identified Alabuga Start as a recruitment channel targeting young Ugandan women with promises of employment and training opportunities.

Recruitment concerns

The investigation, based on interviews with prisoners of war, serving recruits, returnees and families of dead and missing fighters, documented recruitment practices across 40 African countries.

It found that recruits were frequently misled about the nature of the work they would perform in Russia, with some subsequently deployed to fight in Ukraine.

The report also documented cases in which intermediaries offered to help families of dead and missing recruits obtain Russian death compensation of up to US$150,000 (Ksh.19.5 millon) in exchange for commissions of as much as 30 per cent.

According to JFJ, some intermediaries could not provide verifiable authorisation from the Russian government to process the compensation claims.

The investigation further reported that a March 2026 visit to Moscow by Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi resulted in restrictions barring further Kenyan enlistment through Russia’s Ministry of Defence, although the measures did not cover private recruitment into facilities such as the Alabuga drone-production zone.

As of the report’s publication, JFJ said no African government had completed a prisoner exchange, established a repatriation fund or prosecuted an official for facilitating recruitment into Russia’s military.

The report calls attention to the risks facing Africans seeking employment abroad, as well as the need to establish the whereabouts of missing recruits and address the recruitment networks operating across the continent.