Ukrainian forces have detained a Kenyan citizen who was captured while fighting for the Russian military near Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast.
According to a statement released by Ukraine’s 57th Motorized Infantry Brigade on September 17, the man, who identified himself only as Evans, revealed that he was previously an athlete and had travelled to Russia as a tourist.
However, he claims he was tricked into enlisting in the Russian armed forces.
“I ended up in Russia without realizing I had been recruited into the Russian army. I had never served before,” Evans explained in a video released by the Ukrainian brigade. “I didn’t go to Russia for that.”
According to his account, the Russian host who accommodated him offered him what appeared to be a job opportunity and handed him some documents to sign. Unbeknownst to him, those documents were part of a military enlistment contract.
“After signing, he took my passport and phone, promising to return them later. Then others came, told me to get into a car, and that’s how it all started,” Evans recounted.
Kenyan recounts how he found himself fighting in Russia
He described being rushed through a week-long basic military training, after which he was deployed to a military camp where discipline was enforced harshly. He claimed orders were barked aggressively and soldiers were manhandled.
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Fearing for his life and unsure of what awaited him, Evans surrendered to Ukrainian troops, who he said treated him humanely by offering food and water. He insisted that returning to Russian ranks would have likely meant death.
Evans added that the Russian military unit he was attached to included recruits from Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and other African nations, suggesting a broader effort by Moscow to use foreign fighters.
Nicknamed the “Black Wagners”, hundreds of African men have been recruited by the Russian army to fight against Ukraine. Lured by promises of high wages, jobs or even Russian passports, some have voluntarily opted to join Russian President Vladimir Putin’s army. However, dozens have been manipulated and forcibly recruited.
Ukraine says foreign ‘mercenaries’ from various countries aiding Russia
In August, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russian forces in Kharkiv Oblast included foreign mercenaries. He revealed that Ukrainian troops fighting in the northeast are facing foreign fighters recruited by Russia from various countries and vowed to respond decisively.
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During a visit to frontline troops in the Kharkiv region on August 4, Zelensky heard firsthand reports that Russia’s ranks included mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and several African nations.
Many of the Africans recruited by Russia are sent to fight without proper training. Some have been killed, while others have been taken prisoner and are stuck on the front line between Russia and Ukraine, begging their countries to repatriate them.
Russia is also known to have deployed thousands of North Korean troops to help defend its Kursk region. Additionally, Ukraine has accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters—a claim Beijing denies.
Latest on Russia-Ukraine war
On Wednesday, marking the 1,301st day of Russia’s war on Ukraine, President Zelenskyy revealed that Russia had launched over 3,500 drones and nearly 190 missiles against Ukraine so far in September alone, describing the sustained barrage as an “aerial terror” campaign.
Russian forces executed a major strike on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, resulting in the death of a 41-year-old man, injuring at least 18 others, and igniting multiple fires, according to regional Governor Ivan Fedorov.
Additionally, one person was killed in Ukraine’s southern Mykolaiv region, while two people sustained injuries in Kharkiv, located in the northeast. Several other cities across central, southern, and eastern Ukraine were targeted in a wave of attacks involving more than 100 Russian drones.
The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that its drones successfully hit a gas distribution station in the Sumy region of northeast Ukraine. Moscow characterized the site as a gas intake, storage, and distribution facility supporting Ukrainian combat units and rear-area operations.
In retaliation, Ukraine’s military reported striking the Saratov oil refinery in Russia’s Saratov region during an overnight attack. Explosions and fire were reported at the refinery site, as confirmed by the Ukrainian General Staff via a statement on the Telegram messaging app. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to critical infrastructure.
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