"Cannon fodder" of the Kremlin. Russia expands recruitment to include citizens of African countries

Russia is expanding the recruitment of citizens of African countries for the war in Ukraine. According to the US agency Bloomberg, an intelligence report indicates that this program is intended to "compensate for massive losses and the lack of people to mobilize." Officially, the Kremlin has never admitted to engaging foreigners in the war against Ukraine, claiming that the country has enough soldiers.

However, as reported by independent sources, such as The Defense Post, citizens from over 150 countries and territories around the world are fighting on Russia's side. The Ukrainian Coordinating Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that by the fall of this year, almost 46,000 had signed contracts with the Russian army. foreigners.

Recruitment began for the first time in Madagascar

In the first nine months of this year, Russia focused on countries with a weak legal and democratic position.

From January 1 to September 30, 699 men were recruited from Burundi (compared to only 30 in all of 2025) and 530 from Zimbabwe (up from 65). Significant increases were also recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon.

For the first time since the outbreak of a full-scale war, recruitment began in Madagascar, where the authorities strengthened relations with Moscow after last year's coup.

This is how Russia recruits

Recruitment is often carried out using false promises of civilian employment in catering or transport, tempting with high financial bonuses and the prospect of Russian citizenship.

In Zimbabwe, recruitment was carried out, among others, by: using online advertisements with the image of a soldier, promoting "program for specialists from Zimbabwe - limited number of places".

These actions were met with opposition from some African countries. The governments of South Africa and Botswana issued public warnings, Zimbabwe arrested two Russians suspected of military recruitment, and Kenya and Ghana demanded that Moscow immediately stop these practices (according to Kenyan politicians, at least 1,000 citizens of this country were recruited).

In the face of resistance, Russia has almost completely stopped military recruitment in at least nine African countries, switching to recruiting citizens of these countries to work in the Russian defense industry.