<
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/19/kenyan-soldiers-russia-ukraine-war-intelligence-report>
"More than 1,000 Kenyans have been lured to fight for Russia in its war with
Ukraine, according to an intelligence report to the Kenyan parliament that
highlights the scale of a Russian operation taking African men to the
frontline.
The majority leader of Kenya’s national assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, said
“rogue recruitment agencies and individuals in Kenya” were continuing to send
Kenyan nationals to fight in the conflict, as he read MPs the summary of an
investigation by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service.
The figure of more than 1,000 individuals is a significant increase on the
number given in a statement by Kenya’s foreign affairs ministry in November,
which said that more than 200 Kenyans had travelled to fight in the war.
A growing number of people from African countries – including Kenya, Uganda and
South Africa – and elsewhere have been lured to the frontline as Russia seeks
manpower to sustain its invasion. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha,
said in November that more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries were
fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Many are being held by Ukraine as prisoners of
war.
According to the intelligence report, Ichung’wah said, employment agencies were
targeting former military personnel and police officers and civilians from
their mid-20s to 50 years old “who are desperate for job opportunities abroad”.
The employment agencies were enticing Kenyans by promising them monthly
salaries of about 350,000 shillings (£2,000), bonuses of between 900,000
shillings and 1.2m shillings and eventual Russian citizenship, the report said.
It also accused the employment agencies of colluding with staff from several
government agencies – the Directorate of Immigration Services, the Directorate
of Criminal Investigations and its Anti-Narcotics Unit, and the National
Employment Authority – to prevent interception at Nairobi’s international
airport, Ichung’wah said.
It further claimed that the agencies worked with staff at the Russian embassy
in Kenya and the Kenyan embassy in Moscow to get the recruits Russian visitor
visas, he said."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
