Russia using African recruits as ‘suicide bombers’ in Ukraine war | World | News

Russia is allegedly recruiting Africans to fight in Ukraine under false pretences, according to Kyiv’s ambassador to Cape Town. Thousands of Africans are believed to have been enticed to the front lines through deceptive promises or lucrative salary offers, as Moscow seeks to compensate for significant casualties amongst its own forces.

Olexander Scherba told The Telegraph that a recent controversy involving members of a South African political party with connections to Moscow demonstrated the Kremlin “did not care about its allies.” Speaking at the Ukrainian embassy in Pretoria, the ambassador said: “There might be all kinds of charm offensives on the African continent, but once an African person comes to this war, they just become meat for the meat grinder.”

Mr Scherba added that the scandal showed Russia “looks at Africa through imperial eyes.”

Several African countries have recently warned their citizens about fraudulent schemes offering employment or educational opportunities in Russia, which ultimately result in recruits being deployed to combat zones.

The ambassador’s comments emerged as footage appeared online purportedly showing African soldiers being subjected to abuse by Russian officers.

One video appears to depict an African mercenary with an explosive device attached to his body being forced through a trench at gunpoint and commanded to attack Ukrainian positions. The Russian soldier, using racist language, tells the recruit he is being deployed as a “can opener” to run through the woods and detonate himself to “open” an enemy bunker.

A recent video, released on Sunday, depicts new African mercenaries in a snow-laden forest singing in their native language. The Russian soldier recording the scene comments: “look how many disposables there are.”

Mocking the troops, he further adds: “they will be singing differently” once they reach the front line.

South Africa has been closely monitoring the case of 17 men who were allegedly duped into travelling to Russia for bodyguard training by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma.

The men informed reporters that they anticipated returning to work in the protection unit of Mr Zuma’s Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. However, they ended up signing military contracts and were dispatched to the front line, where they remain despite Mr Zuma’s appeals to Moscow for their release.

Ms Zuma-Sambudla insists she believed the men were only participating in non-combat paramilitary training. The 43 year old, an MP with her father’s party who has often voiced support for Vladimir Putin, stated she had been misled and never intended to recruit anyone for combat or mercenary duties.

A letter, supposedly from Mr Zuma to Russia’s defence minister Andrey Belousov, alleged the men were “misled” and signed contracts under “patently misleading circumstances.”

There is no suggestion that Mr Zuma was aware of or involved in the deception.

Mr Scherba said: “The whole saga about Zuma’s family members, if the saga is true and it looks like that, is just evidence of how Russia in the end does not value Africans. Even those who are dedicated to Russia, even those who love Russia, in the end they still can wind up just as meat in the meat grinder.”

Whilst impoverished Russians constitute the majority of Putin’s troops, Ukraine estimates as many as 1,400 Africans are deployed on the front lines. Hundreds are believed to have perished.

Some recruits reportedly understood the dangers, whilst others were deceived with promises of employment or educational opportunities. Serving in a foreign military is prohibited under South African law.

Nairobi launched an investigation into the trafficking of Kenyans to fight this year, following Ukrainian forces’ capture of Evans Kibet, a long-distance runner who claimed he had been deceived into travelling to Russia for an exhibition race. The Kenyan government has subsequently identified at least 82 citizens involved in the Ukraine conflict.

Mr Scherba cautioned those enticed by promises of substantial wages that they are unlikely to receive any payment. He said there were “so many ways for Russians to trick you out of your money” and added that life expectancy for new recruits is often just 72 hours.

He said: “Just imagine how short the life expectancy for Africans is, because they care about foreigners much less than they care about their own citizens.”