The Kenyan government has officially confirmed an alleged $18k trafficking scheme that has lured over 200 of its nationals into fighting on the Russian side in the war against Ukraine.
The government revealed that its security intelligence uncovered that some of its citizens have been caught in the web of what it described as a sophisticated human trafficking ring promising up to $18,000 for visas, travel, and accommodation under the guise of lucrative non-combat jobs.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the $18k trafficking scheme and disclosed that networks actively recruiting Kenyan citizens fighting for Russia are operational in both Kenya and Russia.
The Ministry also revealed that victims of the $18k trafficking scheme are mostly former Kenyan security personnel. The victims are reportedly promised significant financial incentives but are ultimately tricked into signing military contracts, which were described as “equivalent to… a death sentence.”
“Recruitment exercises in Russia have reportedly expanded to include African nationals, including Kenyans,” Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“Over two hundred Kenyans may have joined the Russian military… recruitment networks are still active in both Kenya and Russia.”
The Ministry added that Kenya’s embassy in Moscow has documented cases of injuries among some recruits, who were allegedly offered incentives amounting to $18,000 to cover costs for visas, travel, and accommodation.
The latest development comes after Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said last week that over 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries were serving in Russia’s invasion force, adding that the Kremlin uses “money, lies and coercion” to recruit foreigners.
“Signing a contract [with Russia] is equivalent to signing a death sentence,” Sybiha said on November 7.
Recall also that in October, 2025, Kenya’s Foreign Ministry warned that its citizens were being “lured” by recruiters from the Kremlin to fight in Ukraine, and that many had ended up detained in military camps on Russian soil.
“The system has been made complicated by the agents who masquerade as working with the Russian Government and use unscrupulous methods, including falsified information, to lure innocent Kenyans into the battlefield,” it said.
In September, a security operation outside Nairobi rescued 22 Kenyans who, officials said, were being readied for deployment to the front line. One suspect was detained and will face prosecution.
The Ministry said that the “mysterious trafficking syndicate” was deceiving Kenyans by offering them safe, non-combat jobs in Moscow only to dispatch them to fighting hotspots.
Kenyan Police said that, once recruited, many return home injured or traumatised and in some cases never come home at all.
The allegations are currently being investigated by several African Presidents.
The growing number of African Mercenaries in the Ukraine War spurred several African governments to launch probes into the recruitment processes of their citizens into Russian forces.
The South African government confirmed that it received “distress calls” from 17 of its citizens who found themselves stranded in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the 17 citizens were allegedly lured under the false pretext of high-paying employment contracts.
The citizens were said to be young men, aged between 20 and 39.
Following the development, Ramaphosa ordered a full-scale investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these nationals, which is potentially a violation of South Africa’s Foreign Military Assistance Act.
The South African government also warned young women to be aware of fake adverts pushed by social media influencers in South Africa promising jobs and study opportunities in Russia.
