Newswriting by Editorial Team
Media outlet reports, including an investigation by France-Presse Agence, have documented the recruitment of hundreds of Kenyans by luring them to Russia under the guise of lucrative job offers, only to find themselves forced to fight in the ranks of the Russian army.
Some of them were killed, some were captured, and others were injured or arrested by the Russian army for trying to escape.
Accounts of Eyewitness to the Recruitment phenomenon:
According to testimonies, these Kenyans received offers with attractive salaries ranging from 920 to 2400 euros per month.
Upon their arrival in Russia, they are made to sign contracts in Russian without understanding their content, and are then transformed into soldiers in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Some Kenyans returning from Russia told the agency about the tragedy of the extermination of military units made up mainly of African citizens by Ukrainian drones, with one of these returnees saying that the scene was “a field full of blood”.
Kenyan Government Comment on Compulsory Recruitment for Citizens:
Last December, the Kenyan Foreign Ministry tallied more than 200 Kenyan citizens who had been forced into recruitment, stating that some of them were forced to handle drones or use chemical weapons without training, and reported that 27 Kenyans had returned so far.
Following this, Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi announced his intention to visit Moscow in the near future to address them regarding the situation of Kenyans injured and detained as a result of being forcibly recruited into the war, stressing the need to stop such practices.
The Phenomenon of Recruitment not Limited to Kenyans:
Compulsory recruitment is not limited to Kenyans, but also includes South Africa, where a heated debate took place between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Russian counterpart regarding the issue of recruiting citizens and sending them to the front through deception, sparking widespread controversy by accusing the daughter of former President Jacob Zuma of participating in the recruitment process.
