November 8, 2025 12:35 AM IST
First published on: Nov 8, 2025 at 12:03 AM IST
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Sybiha said Ukraine had identified 1,436 African recruits so far but added the actual number could be higher. (File Photo)
More than 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Friday.
According to Ukrainian officials, Russia has been recruiting fighters from several countries in an effort to strengthen its forces, sometimes using misleading tactics.
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Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said Moscow was persuading Africans to sign military contracts that were “equivalent to a death sentence,” urging African governments to caution their citizens.
“Foreign citizens in the Russian army have a sad fate,” Sybiha wrote on X. “Most of them are immediately sent to the so-called ‘meat assaults’, where they are quickly killed.”
According to available information, at least 1436 citizens from 36 African countries are currently fighting in the ranks of Russia's invasion army in Ukraine. The number represents those identified, though the actual number could be higher.
South Africa said on Thursday it would investigate how 17 of its citizens joined Russian-linked mercenary groups, after they reportedly sent distress messages asking to return home.
Last month, Kenya said several of its citizens had been detained in Russian military camps after being drawn into the conflict.
Sybiha said Ukraine had identified 1,436 African recruits so far but added the actual number could be higher. Most foreign mercenaries captured by Ukraine, he said, were taken during their first combat mission.
He added that Kyiv would share further details about the countries and regions from which Russia has recruited fighters.
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Sybiha said Ukraine had identified 1,436 African recruits so far but added the actual number could be higher. (File Photo) 
