From holiday to combat: Kenyan's ordeal fighting for Russian forces
National
By
David Njaaga
| Sep 18, 2025
Evans, a Kenyan athlete, recounts how a tourist trip to Russia turned into forced military service before his capture in Ukraine. [Screen grab]
A two‑week holiday in Russia for a Kenyan athlete ended in captivity in Ukraine after he says he was tricked into signing a military enlistment contract written in Russian.
The man, identified only as Evans, was detained by Ukraine’s 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade on September 17, near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, after surrendering.
In a video released by the brigade, Evans said he had never served in the military and had no intention of joining.
He recounted that one day before his planned return to Kenya, his host offered to help extend his stay despite his visa expiring.
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“He came in the evening with documents written in Russian. I didn’t know it was a military job. He took my passport and phone, and that is how everything went wrong,” noted Evans.
Within hours, different men arrived, drove him about seven hours to a military camp and told him he could not leave.
“They said, ‘You already signed the documents, you cannot go back. You either serve or get killed,” observed Evans.
Evans described receiving only one week of basic training, calling it chaotic, with orders barked in Russian and soldiers grabbed by their clothes.
He said he was issued a rifle and deployed to the frontline alongside recruits from Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan and several African countries, some nicknamed the “Black Wagners” by Ukrainian troops.
“I’m not the enemy of Ukraine. I found myself in a situation I could not get out of. It messed my life,” remarked Evans.
He said he escaped after being dropped in a forest, spending two days searching for Ukrainian troops.
“I walked into their camp with my hands raised. They tied me, took me to their camp and gave me food and water. In Russia, they probably think I am dead,” recounted Evans.
Evans added that he is a single parent and wants to return to his 16‑year‑old daughter in Kenya.
“I don’t want Russia. I will die there. My daughter needs me,” he said.
Kenya has been directly affected by the Russia‑Ukraine conflict since Moscow’s full‑scale invasion on February 24, 2022.
The country relies heavily on Ukrainian grain imports, and disruptions to Black Sea shipping have driven up food prices locally.
President William Ruto has called the war unjust and urged respect for national sovereignty, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of recruiting foreign fighters from Africa, Asia and the Middle East to bolster its forces in eastern Ukraine.
Reports from Ukrainian military units and independent media have alleged that some Africans are lured to Russia with promises of jobs, education or residency, only to find themselves in military camps and later on the frontlines.
Moscow has denied these claims.
Zelensky said in August that Russian units in Kharkiv Oblast included foreign mercenaries from China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan and several African countries.
Ukrainian forces have also reported capturing other African nationals fighting for Russia, including two Cameroonians who claimed they were misled into military service.
According to Ukraine’s General Staff, more than 1.09 million Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since the start of the full‑scale invasion.
Independent investigations have confirmed the identities of over 130,000 Russian soldiers killed, while Ukrainian military and civilian losses are also in the tens of thousands.
The war, which began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, has caused one of the largest casualty tolls in Europe since World War II.