NAIROBI, Kenya – Russian recruitment networks have been targeting African job seekers with promises of high-paying civilian work, lucrative bonuses and fast-track citizenship—only for many to end up forced into frontline combat in Ukraine, a new CNN investigation has revealed.
The investigation exposes how African men from countries including Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa were allegedly misled into signing Russian military contracts after being promised roles such as drivers, security guards or technicians.
CNN reports that it reviewed hundreds of private chats on messaging platforms, military service contracts, visa records, flight itineraries and hotel bookings, alongside firsthand testimony from African fighters currently or previously deployed in Ukraine.
Several African governments—including Kenya, Uganda, Botswana and South Africa—have acknowledged the growing number of citizens caught up in Russia’s recruitment pipeline, with officials issuing warnings against travelling to Russia for work linked to the war.
Promises vs reality
According to CNN, many recruits were offered signing bonuses of up to $13,000 (about Sh1.7 million), monthly salaries reaching $3,500 (around Sh450,000), and Russian citizenship upon completion of service.
However, once in Russia, the men say they were compelled to enlist in the military, given minimal training and rapidly deployed to combat zones in Ukraine.
CNN interviewed 12 African fighters still in Ukraine who said they were forced to sign military contracts written in Russian without legal counsel or translation.
Several alleged their passports were confiscated, preventing them from leaving.
Russian law restricts military service by foreigners to those fluent in the language, yet none of the African recruits interviewed said they spoke Russian.
Pay and benefits reportedly fell far short of what had been promised, with discrepancies even among the recruits themselves. Some accused recruitment agents and Russian soldiers of stealing from their bank accounts.
One fighter told CNN that a Russian soldier forced him at gunpoint to surrender his bank card and PIN while he was deployed at the front.
Nearly $15,000 (about Sh2 million) from his signing bonus later disappeared. He said he had not received any salary in seven months, while four African men who arrived with him had since been killed.
Binding contracts, lifelong obligations
CNN obtained translated clauses of Russian military contracts which suggest recruits were bound to far more extensive obligations than advertised.
Beyond combat duties and overseas deployment, the contracts impose strict loyalty requirements and open-ended service terms.
Some clauses require soldiers to repay the state for military training, with the amount left unspecified at the time of signing.
The obligations also extend into civilian life. Access to state secrets can result in passport confiscation, foreign travel bans, limits on privacy and lifelong restrictions on sharing information.
Despite recruitment agents advertising quick access to civilian jobs after service, the contracts state that professional retraining is only available after at least five years of service—and only under limited conditions such as age, health or contract expiry.
Kenyan survivors speak out
Patrick Kwoba, a 39-year-old Kenyan carpenter, said he was convinced to join after seeing the apparent success of an African friend serving in the Russian military.
He paid a Kenyan agent about $620 (Sh80,000) after being promised a $23,000 (Sh3 million) signing bonus and a non-combat role. Instead, he says he received just three weeks of training before being sent to Ukraine.
“The four months I spent there were hell,” Kwoba told CNN after returning to Nairobi.
Injured in a drone and grenade attack, he said his Russian partner refused to help him and even fired shots at him when he asked for medical assistance.
“So long as you step into the Russian military, you escape or you die,” he said. “There is no release.”
Kwoba eventually fled while recovering in St Petersburg, reaching the Kenyan embassy in Moscow and securing emergency travel documents to return home. He still requires surgery to remove shrapnel from his body.
Another Kenyan, photographer Charles Njoki, said he applied directly through an online Russian recruitment portal after seeing adverts for drone operators.
Hoping to support his pregnant wife, he sold his car to fund his trip and arrived in Russia within days.
Instead of a technical role, he says African fighters were routinely exposed to extreme danger.
“They tell you that you will guard a place, but you end up on the front line,” Njoki said.
He later escaped and returned to Kenya through embassy assistance.
Governments warn, Russia silent
Ukraine has urged African governments to block recruitment channels feeding fighters into Russia’s war effort.
“If they are on the front lines, they are our enemies,” Ukraine’s ambassador to Kenya, Yurii Tokar, told CNN. “This pipeline should be stopped.”
Russia’s Defence and Foreign Ministries did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment. The Russian embassy in Nairobi was also contacted but did not issue a response.
