Africans ‘lured’ into Putin’s conflict as recruit boasts he’d ‘die for Russia’ in chilling posts
Africans are being pulled into Russia’s war in Ukraine through alleged scams and coercion, officials say, but some also sign up willingly – like Nigerian ex-soldier Obiorah Okechukwu
Families of Kenyans recruited to join the war protested, demanding answers about their fate(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
People from African nations are being funnelled into Russia’s war effort in Ukraine through a mix of alleged scams, coercion and hard-sell online propaganda.
However, investigators say some recruits are signing up willingly, even boasting they would “die for Russia”. One of the most striking examples is a Nigerian man using the handle “Obiorah949” on social media.
Identified in reports as Obiorah Okechukwu, he is reportedly a former Nigerian Army soldier who travelled to Russia around July 2025 and enlisted soon after. In a post on Threads, the account most recently wrote: “The best decision I have ever made being Russia citizens and flighting for Russia warrior military.”
More than 1,000 Kenyans have gone to fight for the Russian army in Ukraine(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Okechukwu has been described as a voluntary recruit who publicly documents himself in fatigues, shows off Russian military dog tags online, and encourages other Africans to follow him. This is a style of content analysts say can be used as a propaganda tool to make military service look like an “easy life”.
But Ukrainian and African officials reportedly warn that many others are not volunteering at all; they are being tricked. Ukraine has accused Moscow of using deception to recruit Africans as the war grinds on, Al Jazeera reported.
Speaking in Kyiv alongside Ghana’s visiting Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: “We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war.” He added: “According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army.”
Ablakwa said many are lured online with false job promises, then thrown into combat. He further shared: “They have no security background.
“They have no military background. They have not been trained.
“They were just lured and deceived and then put on the front lines.” South Africa has also reported cases of nationals “lured” into fighting, with its Presidency recently announcing the return of 11 citizens.
Separate analysis by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies describes what it calls a shadowy recruitment pipeline targeting job seekers and students with offers of work, study programmes or legal status – only for them to be pressured into signing Russian-language military contracts once they arrive. Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah said recruits are “basically just given a gun to go and die”.
Russia has denied illegally recruiting Africans, PBS reported. The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has also publicly denied any state-supported programme to illegally recruit Nigerian citizens, insisting foreign nationals serving are independent volunteers.
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