Maureen Okpe
A disturbing pattern of alleged human trafficking and forced conscription is emerging, as African nationals from Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya and other countries claim they were lured to Russia with promises of lucrative civilian jobs, only to be coerced into fighting on the frontlines of the Russia–Ukraine war.
One of the alleged victims, Bankole Manchi, a 36-year-old Nigerian automobile mechanic, shared his ordeal in a video testimony on YouTube. Manchi said he left Nigeria hoping to secure better economic opportunities after being introduced to what appeared to be a legitimate overseas employment offer.
He explained that an intermediary provided him with documents to sign and guided him through a visa process that, in hindsight, seemed unusually effortless requiring only names, with no interviews or embassy scrutiny.
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Trusting an older acquaintance who coordinated the process, Manchi travelled from Lagos to Addis Ababa and then onward to Moscow. He said his family, including his sister, was fully aware of his trip. On arrival in Russia, however, he was handed over to two foreign men and reassured that all was in order, despite there having been no prior mention of military service.
Manchi said he was promised an income equivalent to about ₦500,000 monthly, which he believed would help transform his family’s fortunes and expand his spare parts business. Driven by excitement and desperation, he admitted signing documents without fully understanding their contents.
His expectations collapsed when he was taken to a military-style camp populated by recruits from Nigeria, Ghana, France, Brazil, China and other countries. Many, he said, could barely communicate due to language barriers and relied on phone translation apps. “Once you enter the camp, there is no going back,” he recalled.
Training reportedly began with basic drills and classroom instruction before escalating to weapons handling, grenade use and night-time field exercises. Manchi said injuries occurred during training, but activities continued regardless. It was only later, he claimed, that recruits were informed they would be deployed to the battlefield.
According to Manchi, movements to the frontlines were deliberately carried out at night, obscuring their location. Using maps and compasses, he said they later realised they were operating inside Ukrainian territory. Shortly after arrival, heavy gunfire erupted, during which he sustained a gunshot wound to the leg. He alleged that food was scarce, with recruits surviving mainly on water for days before he received medical attention.
He described the experience as being treated as expendable manpower in a war he neither understood nor consented to fight.
Similar accounts have surfaced from other African nationals. In a video published by UNITED24 and shared by journalist Phillip Obaji Jr., a Ugandan man said he and others were promised civilian jobs in supermarkets, airports and private security firms in Russia. Upon arrival, he claimed they were forcibly enlisted into the military, with protests ignored and recruits held under armed guard in locked facilities.
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The Ugandan described harsh living conditions, including underground shelters plagued by bedbugs and severely limited food supplies. He said he eventually escaped and fled toward Ukrainian forces, who detained him briefly before confirming his identity and ensuring his safety.
Further allegations were raised by researcher and social media commentator Sholla Ard, who claimed to have uncovered a recruitment network targeting young Africans. According to Ard, a Russian company, ST3 Metal LLC, was allegedly used to issue short-term employment letters sometimes valid for as little as two weeks to facilitate visas.
Ard alleged that recruits were sourced through local agents in countries such as Kenya and Uganda, routed through transit hubs including Juba, Nairobi and Turkey, and then coerced into military service shortly after arriving in Russia. He said he had obtained recruitment letters, visas and agreements reportedly signed under pressure, alongside records of missing persons and alleged combat deaths.
He further claimed the operation may have links to Wagner-associated networks, warning that Africans were being trafficked into an active war zone under the false promise of employment, with devastating consequences.