Protest strongly over Russia's illegal military hiring
Editorial
By
Editorial
| Jan 03, 2026
It is saddening and puzzling that despite the horror stories of Kenyans, who were hoodwinked into joining the Russian military, recruiters are still releasing tens of advertisements to lure more Kenyans to enlist in this bloody war against Ukraine.
Some of the Kenyans fighting in Ukraine have been killed, others have been maimed and the rest are serving in difficult conditions in a war that they were duped into joining with rosy promises. Majority of those on the battlefront were promised well-paying civilian jobs in Russia before being forced to sign contracts that saw them end up in this war.
But while the Kenyan government has launched efforts to bring Kenyans who are caught up in the war back home, it is yet to publicly condemn Russia's illegal recruitment of civilians in Kenya and other African countries.
Such silence even when making to repatriate the hapless Kenyans engaged in this war suggests complicity. The government needs to unequivocally tell Russia, verbally and in writing, that it has crossed the line and that it must cease the clandestine recruitment exercise and return all Kenyans fighting on its side in Ukraine forthwith.
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Kenya should also demand reparations from both Russia and the agencies that are undertaking the recruitment on behalf of the Russian government, for Kenyans who have lost their lives or have been maimed. It should also seek to freeze the assets or accounts or benefits accrued by those who are being used to trick gullible youths into joining the Russia war.
Kenya may not have much enough leverage, but it should rethink its relationship with Russia, should Moscow insist on going on with its reprehensible actions of enticing civilians in Kenya and Africa to join its war.
Similarly, the government ought to take action against social media giants such as TikTok and Telegram for publicising this ignoble mission which is taking African youths to their early graves. They must stop publishing the Russian military recruitment advertisements. Media have a responsibility to scrutinise content before publishing it to avoid misleading the public as in this case. The social media companies must therefore stop promoting war but blocking such advertisements.
It is clear Vladimir Putin is determined to defeat Ukraine by all means. But he should not rely on Africans to win this war. He should conscript Russian youths, as perhaps they support this war that has reportedly caused 1.1 million casualties on the Russian side. Kenya doesn't support this war. No one deserves to die in a war their country does not support.
Finally, the government should punish Kenyan youths who voluntarily joined this war, ostensibly to escape unemployment. They should be taken straight to jail upon their return. The government should be concerned about what they will do with the experience that they will get in this war once back home.