A Kenyan intelligence report alleges that 1,000 citizens were misled with false job offers and recruited to fight for Russia in Ukraine, prompting parliamentary scrutiny, arrests of recruiters and denials from Moscow’s embassy in Nairobi.
A Kenyan intelligence assessment has revealed that around 1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine after allegedly being lured with false job offers in Russia and later deployed to the battlefield.
The findings were tabled before parliament on Wednesday by parliamentary leader Kimani Ichung’wah. He accused officials at the Russian Embassy in Nairobi of working alongside recruitment agencies to mislead Kenyans into believing they would secure skilled employment in Russia. According to Ichung’wah, the recruits were issued tourist visas before travelling.
The Russian diplomatic mission rejected the claims. In a statement released Thursday, the embassy said it had never granted visas to individuals intending to join the fighting in Ukraine. It added that while Russia does not bar foreign nationals from voluntarily enlisting in its armed forces, it had not facilitated such travel for combat purposes.
Ichung’wah told lawmakers that a report from the National Intelligence Service detailed the current status of Kenyans allegedly involved. According to the briefing, 89 were deployed on the front lines, 39 had been hospitalised and 28 were listed as missing in action. Others were said to have returned to Kenya, while at least one death has been confirmed.
The intelligence dossier also outlined the recruitment agencies believed to have organised the travel of the Kenyans to Russia.
Ichung’wah cautioned that any Kenyan officials posted at the country’s embassy in Moscow would face accountability if investigations establish that they were complicit in the scheme.
Dozens of Kenyan families have in recent weeks urged the government to bring back loved ones stranded in Russia, with some allegedly forced to fight on the front lines and others held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Kenyan recruits who have returned to the country have given accounts of being promised skilled jobs such as electricians and plumbers. They say they signed contracts written in Russian and were sent to battle with little or no military training.
Kenya’s foreign ministry had previously acknowledged the problem, and urged citizens to be careful.
Two recruiters were arrested last year and released on bail as they await trial.
With inputs from agencies
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