Russia is said to widen military recruitment drive in Africa

Russia is stepping up the number of Africans it recruits to counter a personnel shortage in its military and is targeting some of the continent’s most dysfunctional states for manpower, a presentation obtained from people familiar with Ukraine’s intelligence service showed.

The countries included Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone in the first nine months of this year after Kenya and South Africa sought to stop men leaving to join Russia’s war against Ukraine, the presentation seen by Bloomberg showed. The program is aimed at “offsetting massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilise,” the presentation reads.

Russia has never publicly acknowledged using foreigners to fight Ukraine. The Kremlin has said the country has enough manpower for the war. President Vladimir Putin last month dismissed speculation that he was about to announce another round of mobilisation at home.

But there’s been growing concern in a number of African countries about Russia’s attempts to recruit their citizens. Africa’s comparative poverty means it’s easier to lure people to Russia, often with false promises of civilian jobs in catering or transport.

In a report released on Monday, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said that Russian authorities “have trafficked persons from 29 countries, using deception or coercion, to recruit them in the Russian armed forces.”

There have also been offers of substantial signing-on bonuses and salaries as well as a path to Russian citizenship, according to the families of some recruits and a report by Amnesty International last month.

The governments of Botswana and South Africa issued public warnings about accepting lucrative-sounding jobs in Russia. Zimbabwe arrested two Russian citizens it suspected of recruiting for the military.

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Botswana’s foreign minister, in a reply to a parliamentary question, said on Monday that 15 recruited Botswanans are missing and the country has reached out to both Ukrainian and Russian authorities.

The Kenyan and Ghanaian governments directly asked Russia to stop the activity. Kenyan politicians have said at least 1,000 citizens have been recruited by Russia. Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi traveled to Moscow earlier this year to object.

Russia has now turned its attention to countries with poor democratic credentials, limited press freedom and a weak judiciary, the Ukrainian presentation showed. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi, compared with 30 in all of 2025, and 530 Zimbabweans, up from 65, the presentation says. Other countries that saw significant increases include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon.

The presentation included an online advert allegedly used in Zimbabwe showing an African in military uniform and promoting a “program for specialists from Zimbabwe, limited spots.” It urges people to click on a link to take a test to see if they qualify. It doesn’t specifically say that those who sign up will end up on the frontline with Ukraine.

Russia also started recruiting in Madagascar for the first time since its war against Ukraine began. The military took over in a coup last year and has forged closer ties with Moscow, including receiving military equipment and food from Russia.

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At the same time, Russia virtually halted military recruitment in at least nine African countries. It’s instead seeking to hire their citizens to work in the defence industry, according to the presentation seen by Bloomberg.

In total, Ukraine has identified 45,959 foreigners who have signed contracts with the Russian military from 151 countries. Of those, 5 451 are African.

The UN commission said in its report that a global network of agents cooperating with the Russian authorities organised the transfer of recruits. Upon arriving in Russia, they were coerced into signing contracts they did not understand and then transferred to the Russian armed forces.

The commission based its findings on 245 interviews with fighters captured by Ukraine’s military or having found their way home as well as families of recruits. They ranged in age from 18 to 60 and came from countries including Jordan, Uganda, Peru and Uzbekistan.

The report also said that some of the Russian recruits were tortured and filmed by Ukrainian authorities to dissuade others from signing up with the Russian armed forces. Ukraine has said it will only free captured foreign nationals if they are swapped for Ukrainian troops held by Russia.

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