Russians are sending young Africans to the frontline in Ukraine, threatening to deport them from Russia if they don’t, Bloomberg reports, citing European officials.
The Kremlin has forced thousands of migrants and foreign students to fight alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, joining the ranks of the offensive forces in Kharkiv region, according to European officials.
According to sources, the Russian authorities have already forced thousands of Africans to travel to Ukraine. Increasingly, they are threatened with not renewing their visas unless they agree to join the army. The journalists note that Russian special services have also detained Africans who were in Russia on work visas, and they were forced to choose between being deported or signing a contract with the Defense Ministry.
The newspaper reports that according to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is conducting a global campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries in at least 21 countries, including several in Africa. The recruitment campaigns offer potential contractors large bonuses and salaries. Recruiters also targeted migrants and students who had previously sought work in Russia. In some cases, they were lured with promises of good jobs and then forced to undergo training and go to the front.
A senior Ukrainian official said that the number of foreign fighters among the prisoners has increased. According to him, Africans and Nepalese are particularly common.
Earlier this year, the Kathmandu government said it was aware of about 400 young Nepali men who had been recruited by Russia, but many more had likely registered without the government’s knowledge. India’s decision to stop recruiting Nepalese Gurkhas into its army, ending a 200-year tradition, may have prompted Nepalis to seek work in Russia and other countries.
According to Evgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, 35-37 thousand African students are currently studying in Russia.
“Every year we attract about 6,500 students from Africa to study in Russia for free,” he said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.