Among the foreigners who have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense to serve in the Russian armed forces, at least 2,427 people are citizens of 40 African countries.
Such data was announced by Dmitry Usov, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, during an interdepartmental meeting chaired by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, the meeting was devoted to issues of expanding Ukraine's presence on the African continent. The event was also attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the OPU, the government, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, as well as experts on regional issues.
In particular, Usov stated that among the foreigners who signed contracts with the Russian defense ministry, at least 2,427 people are citizens of 40 African countries.
“The fact of the death of at least 314 of them has been established. In addition, as of today, dozens of citizens of African states from 15 countries of the continent are in Ukrainian captivity,” the Secretary of the Coordination Staff added.
He also noted that to compensate for significant losses on the battlefield, the Russian authorities are actively building a recruitment network in the poorest countries in Africa.
“Some foreigners are recruited under the guise of high-paying jobs — in construction, security, or as drivers. They are not informed about their participation in hostilities. After signing a contract and undergoing short (about 16 days) training at the training ground, they are immediately sent to the front,” Usov said.
The official recalled that in order to expose and counteract illegal Russian practices, the Coordination Headquarters' project “I Want to Live” regularly publishes information on its own resources, as well as in cooperation with international media and investigators, both about recruitment schemes and about people whom the Russian Federation is involving in the war.
In April 2025, the Russian publication “Important Stories” reported that mercenaries from at least 48 countries around the world were participating in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian Federation. The journalists identified 1,500 of them and found out how foreigners in Moscow were being recruited into the ranks of the Russian army.