Kenya suffers Russia's exploitation in the 4th year of war against Ukraine

When Moscow’s mission in Nairobi spoke in defense of its record, against what it referred to as accusations of taking part in shipping Kenyans to their deaths in its war against Ukraine, it was introducing a new dimension in the debate of exploitation which has reared its head during the fourth year of Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The statement sent out to the media was immediately followed by some social media activity by the embassy- one of the most established in Kenya since independence – but has remained mum since the media began exposing an ongoing syndicate duping Kenyans into joining the Russian army without consent. An outcry by families that have lost their relatives to Russia’s war has been immense.

The embassy dropped a post on its Xplatform accusing one of the established radio stations in Kenya of “….losing credibility by distorting and perverting news in pursuit of ratings…...” it said and added “….regrettably pathetic journalism from a once respected media outlet…..The Russian ambassador held a pre-arranged meeting with PS for Foreign Affairs and was never ‘summoned’.”

The new thin skin from Moscow’s Mission in Nairobi, was out of the ordinary by an embassy used to handling attacks calmly, never coming out to defend itself. However, lately, a sustained media coverage which included Nairobi-based correspondents for international media seemed to smoke the embassy from a shell of diplomatic mien after victims of Russia’s war in Kenya found voices through the media to speak. The reportage has built into the theme of exploitation that Russia has been denying in international sittings including the Cairo conference of December 20.

In his opening statement to the conference, Russia’s Foreign Secretary Sergey Lavrov said: “As Russian President Vladimir Putin one time said, 'We have virtually no disagreements with any African countries, and the level of trust and mutual affinity is high, mainly because our relations with Africa have never been tarnished. We have never been involved in the exploitation of African peoples." 

The quick reaction came after Capital FM posted a picture of Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Korir Sing’oei met Russian ambassador Vsevolod Tkachenko in his office with a text saying; MFA summons Russian ambassador, demands access to Kenyans caught in Ukraine war.

The word ‘summon’ seemed to have irked the embassy days after a statement to the media defending itself against a formal statement by the Leader of majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichungwah, that cited “…..employees at both the Russian Embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow” for colluding to ship Kenyans to the war in Russia.

As the war enters its fifth year after today (Feb 24) Kenya has joined other African countries in suffering Russia’s exploitation, where over 1000 of its youthful men are fighting for Russia’s army, according to a Kenya government report tabled before parliament last week. The Standard has reported cases of hundreds among individuals trapped, crying out for help some saying they were duped into the war frontlines with false job promises. A few have said they had military and police experience and joined in search of greener pastures.

In his statement to the National Assembly last week leader of Majority Kimani Ichungwah revealed details of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) report, which was filed in response to inquiries from Members of Parliament (MPs) following an escalated media pressure as families of victims that are trapped in Russia increased their push for their relatives to be brought back home.

According to the report, as of February this year, 89 Kenyans were actively fighting for Russia in Ukraine, 39  are hospitalised nursing injuries from the war, 28 are missing in action and 35 have been deployed to military camps in Russia. One is detained while another has completed the contract.

The NIS report said “many who were recruited are ex-military, ex-police officers and some desperate Kenyans aged between 20 to 50 years, who went there with promises of other jobs only to end up in military combat after being trained for a few weeks before being sent to the frontlines.”

The recruits, said the report, were lured with promises of Sh350,000 salaries with bonuses of Sh900,000, which unfortunately didn’t happen.

In Parliamentary proceedings on Wednesday, Ichung'wah confirmed that intelligence reports presented to the House identify a network of rogue recruitment agencies and colluding officials facilitating this recruitment pipeline. He also said there has been collusion involving officials from the Directorate of Immigration Services, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) and employees at both the Russian Embassy in Nairobi and the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow.

Ichung’wah said that the collusion of rogue agents and state officials not only poses a grave threat to individual Kenyans but undermines national security and Kenya’s diplomatic standing.

The Majority Leader urged immediate government action to identify and hold accountable those implicated, and to strengthen regulation of overseas recruitment processes to prevent further exploitation.

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, also Foreign Affairs CS, earlier said the government had successfully rescued and repatriated 27 Kenyans who were stranded in the Russian Federation after they were illegally enlisted to fight in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

In his update released a week before the official state report landed in Parliament, Mudavadi said the government secured the safe return of Kenyans through swift diplomatic and consular interventions coordinated by Kenya’s mission in Moscow. The Foreign and Diaspora Affairs office said a majority had fallen victim to recruitment networks linked to the Russian military.

“We have facilitated 27 Kenyans to come back home away from the frontline and from what they thought were different jobs but ended up being lured into battle,” said Mudavadi.

The developments in the rescue operations have necessitated an urgent undertaking by the government, and Mudavadi would be visiting Moscow to engage directly with the Russian government. The visit, among other issues, aims to address the circumstances that drew Kenyans into Russia’s war against Ukraine and to prevent further exposure to danger.

“We have seen loss of lives, and I am planning to make a visit to Moscow, so that we can emphasise that this is something that needs to be arrested,” Mudavadi said.

“The Kenyan Ambassador to Russian Amb Peter Mathuki has been in contact with the relevant agencies, and we intend to ensure structured bilateral agreements just like the ones we have entered with the different countries like Austria and Germany, where Kenyans will get legitimate and decent jobs,” added Mudavadi.

Mudavadi raised fresh concerns over rising cases of Kenyan youth being lured into unsafe jobs abroad, including reports involving recruitment to countries such as Russia.

Highlighting some alarming accounts from rescued nationals who he said were forced to assemble drones and handle hazardous chemicals without adequate training or protective gear, the Prime CS regretted that some citizens may have found themselves in precarious situations due to misinformation, irregular and illegal recruitment, or false promises of work.

“We are concerned that even some don’t inform their families when they travel and later fall victim to what is happening on the war front,” he regretted.

He revealed that some victims reported severe injuries and exploitation while working under the Russian military.

Meanwhile, reports by majority of international media, including The Guardian, BBC, and Russia’s independent publication Protokol, say that as the fourth anniversary is commemorated in Ukraine and its allies, the conflict has evolved into a war of attrition that has global implications, including in Africa. While the peace process is ongoing, it has struggled to deliver meaningful results: Russia has consistently shifted its negotiating position and dismissed international attempts to settle the conflict through political means as the conflict remains now defined by high casualty rates, including African nationals.

According to the Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS) the frontlines remain relatively static, with Russia’s invasion making slow progress. Individuals fighting for Russia are subjected to acute risk on the frontlines; the Russian military reportedly suffered 31,700 casualties in January 2026 alone. Despite holding the initiative throughout 2025, Russia’s advances have been reduced to a grinding pace, averaging just 15 to 70 meters per day.

“Slower than almost any major offensive campaign in any war in the last century,” CSIS reports.

Despite this, Russia shows little meaningful interest in ending the war. Total combined military casualties are projected to reach two million by May this year (2026). CSIS estimates suggest Russian casualties which include the killed, wounded, and missing, stand at approximately 1.2 million, with Ukrainian losses estimated between 500,000 and 600,000.5. Following four years of attritional military campaigns, Russia has transitioned into what analysts describe as "Phase Zero" which involves escalation outside the conventional battlefield, including cyber-attacks, disinformation operations, and political interference.

Faced with these challenges, Russia has interestingly supported the recruitment of foreigners into its war after President Vladimir Putin signed a presidential decree in July 2025 allowing his army to recruit from foreign nationals, including the Global South. That decision made in Moscow, however, did not have the modalities of recruitment and a legal structure which, according to Malaysia-based Chasseur Group, an international Security research group, is what has been exploited by Russian agencies to dupe populations from the global south into enlisting in the war to fight for Russia without their consent.

Reports continue to circulate of African men who accepted job offers in Russia but were then recruited into the Russian military. In February 2026, the investigative research project ‘All Eyes on Wagner’ released a report based on a database it had obtained of 1,417 African recruits in Russia, 316 of whom were killed in action. All Eyes on Wagner estimates this number is much higher.

While some African recruits who travel to Russia recognize that they will fill combat roles, many others are deceived. Tactics include luring prospective recruits with false promises of high salaries, fast-track citizenship and fraudulent offers of safe, non-military positions. Russia then coerces them to join the frontlines in Ukraine, where they are frequently injured, captured, or killed.