Why Do African Men End Up Fighting In Ukraine?

I keep asking myself: how does a young man from Ghana, Kenya, or South Africa end up in a war thousands of kilometres from home, in a war he never intended to join?

Joshua Nkrumah, a Ghanaian, thought he was traveling to Russia to study and work. Instead, he found himself on the frontlines in Ukraine. And he is far from alone. Investigations reveal that hundreds of African nationals are being recruited into the Russian military under false promises of scholarships, high-paying jobs, or migration opportunities. Social media, travel agencies, and local recruiters play a central role. In South Africa, 17 men were lured to Russia under the promise of legitimate jobs, only to end up in combat in Ukraine’s Donbas region. Families report sporadic communication, trauma, and even paralysis among some of the men. Just last week, South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa called Russian president, Vladimir Putin, requesting to bring back the South Africans fighting in Ukraine. The matter has prompted the Hawks (South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation) to open a probe into the network responsible for sending the men to Russia. Investigators are examining whether the recruits were deceived or unlawfully recruited in breach of the Foreign Military Assistance Act, which bars citizens from serving in foreign armed forces without government approval.

According to investigative research organisation INPACT, even the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) appears to coordinate some of these recruitment networks. An investigation by investigative research organisation, INPACT reveals a systematic campaign: since 2023, Russia has actively recruited African nationals to bolster its forces in Ukraine. The numbers are alarming. INPACT obtained files listing 1,417 African nationals recruited into the Russian army, with 314 of them killed in action, while others have been detained in Ukraine. The average life expectancy in combat is often 6 months for African nationals fighting in Ukraine. The motivations are clear: young people facing limited economic prospects, political instability, and ongoing crises on the continent are drawn toward the possibility of a better life. Social media posts, flashy recruitment ads, and the hope of moving abroad create the perfect conditions for exploitation.

@thedebriefnetwork

The Debrief Network | Have you ever wondered how African men en…

Kent Mensah, a Ghanaian journalist who visited Ukrainian detention centres and saw Joshua there, told The Debrief Network that the situation ultimately reflects the broader unemployment crisis across Africa.

“So basically, it’s all bows down to unemployment and then the economic situation in the various African countries we have high unemployment rate among the youth in the various countries so people are looking forward to where they can be greener pastures and then looking forward to travelling outside a country. So, before this Russian Ukraine issue, you realise that a lot of the youth always see Europe or America as a safe haven for them to have solutions to their unemployment situation or economic situation. So, when this Russian Ukraine saga happened, I think people also took advantage, knowing that the youth can easily fall prey to it and then giving them non-existent employment opportunities in Russia.”

Hearing Kent describe this, I felt a lump in my throat. He had to break the news to Joshua’s family. They had no idea he was alive, let alone fighting in Ukraine. Joshua had believed he was going to further his education. Instead, he is now stuck in detention, which is a reality many families face silently.

The recruitment process is heartbreakingly systematic:

1. Young men finish school and face the harsh reality of unemployment.

2. Seeking income to support themselves and their families, they turn to the internet.

3. On platforms like Telegram and Instagram, “influencers” promote life-changing opportunities, where jobs in private security, farm work, or scholarships in Russia. Promises of $2,000/month sound like a dream.

4. They travel to Russia, on student visas or through agents, only to find themselves bound by contracts they don’t understand and sent straight to the frontlines.

I wanted to know what African governments are doing. Sadly, very little. Most do not track travel to Russia, leaving intervention limited to post-detention support. Mensah told me that a few countries, like Kenya, are beginning to monitor these routes.
“There’s a huge failure in migration oversight. African governments and their diplomatic missions rarely collaborate on who is leaving for Russia or why. Kenya is one of the few trying to track this, working with Russia to understand the flow of people.”

Kenya has been forced to confront this issue directly. Officials condemned recruiters who sent their citizens to fight in Ukraine instead of legitimate work opportunities. Families have reported deaths and severe injuries, and the government has closed more than 600 illicit recruitment agencies, while working to bring home those who survived.

In Africa today, the stakes are real. Kenyan and South African families are desperate for answers. Young men are injured, traumatized, or dead. Meanwhile, citizens follow heroes online who may be consolidating power rather than delivering freedom.I write this newsletter not just as a chronicle of events, but as a reminder that behind every statistic is a young person, a family, a dream hijacked by desperation.