Among the foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, at least 2,427 people are citizens of 40 African countries. As reported by the Coordination Headquarters, as of today, dozens of citizens from 15 African countries are in Ukrainian captivity, UNN reports.
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Dmytro Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters, participated in an interdepartmental coordination meeting chaired by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov.
The meeting was dedicated to expanding Ukraine's presence on the African continent. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the Office of the President, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as well as experts on the region, also participated in the event.
Usov reported on the scale of Russian activities aimed at recruiting citizens of African countries to participate in the war against Ukraine.
In particular, according to personal data available to the Coordination Headquarters, among the foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, at least 2,427 people are citizens of 40 African countries. The death of at least 314 of them has been established. In addition, as of today, dozens of citizens of African states from 15 countries of the continent are in Ukrainian captivity.
As reported by the Coordination Headquarters, in order to compensate for significant losses on the battlefield, Russia is actively building a recruitment network in the poorest countries of Africa. Some foreigners are recruited under the guise of high-paying jobs - in construction, security, or as drivers. They are not informed about participation in hostilities. After signing a contract and short (about 16 days) training at the training ground, they are immediately sent to the front.
In order to expose and counter illegal Russian practices, the Coordination Headquarters' "I Want to Live" project regularly publishes information on its own resources, as well as in cooperation with international media and investigators, about both recruitment schemes and individuals whom Russia involves in the war.
Last month, the Coordination Headquarters also held a meeting with a delegation from the Republic of Ghana led by Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. During the meeting, ways to counter the recruitment of citizens of Ghana and other African countries by the Russian Federation to participate in the war against Ukraine were discussed.
From Kenya to the trench: a mercenary from Africa eliminated in Donetsk region – HUR31.01.26, 16:01