Ukrainian Military Intelligence (HUR) has revealed the identity of another Nigerian national who was allegedly killed while fighting for Russia.
In an official statement released on May 28, 2026, authorities identified the deceased as Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, who was reportedly killed during active combat in Ukraine’s volatile Kharkiv region.
Victor was said to hail from Ilutitun in Ondo state.
This latest disclosure comes amid growing international scrutiny regarding the Russian recruitment of African fighters, a scheme that intelligence officials warn has systematically put vulnerable foreign nationals into direct harm’s way.
According to intelligence dossiers, Victor’s death is not an isolated occurrence but rather the latest string in a calculated geopolitical playbook.
Ukrainian operatives recovered personal documents and contract details indicating that the Nigerian was allegedly fighting for Russia and had been deployed to a highly dangerous frontline position with minimal preparation.
HUR explicitly noted that for hundreds of unsuspecting foreign nationals, the deceptive promises of lucrative employment or academic advancements in the Russian Federation have effectively transformed into a “one-way ticket” to the battlefield.
According to the statement, Victor signed the mercenary contract in late February — just one week after Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned citizens against illegal recruitment into foreign armed conflicts, citing rising cases of Nigerians allegedly being lured abroad under false pretences and forced into combat roles.
Before the warning, Ukraine said it discovered the bodies of two Nigerians in its Luhansk region, who were allegedly fighting on Russia’s side in the ongoing four-year war.
Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of covertly recruiting Nigerians and other Africans for the war, calling them unfounded.
“However, official Moscow propaganda tells a different story. Mikhail Zvinchuk, a pro-war z-propagandist closely associated with the russian ministry of Defense, publicly described the recruitment scheme for the war against Ukraine on the channel of one of the Kremlin’s main propagandists, Vladimir Solovyov,” the Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence statement reads.
“He confirmed that residents of African countries are lured to Russia through fake job advertisements distributed via Facebook and WhatsApp.
“Victims are issued visas, provided one-way tickets, and promised employment. Upon arrival in Moscow, they are met by an intermediary who confiscates their passports under the pretext of processing documents and places them in hostels.
“Within days, they discover that no job exists, their visas have been canceled, and they have no money to return home.
“They are then given a choice: deportation with debt, imprisonment, or signing a contract with the occupation army — the contents of which they often do not even understand due to the language barrier.”
According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 215 Nigerians have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence, with no fewer than 25 of them killed or considered missing in action.
The statement said despite denials by Russian diplomats, the number of Nigerian mercenaries in the ranks of the occupation forces continues to grow.
