Kenyans will no longer fight for Russia, top diplomat says

"After being promised well-paid civilian work, some 1,000 Kenyans have landed in Russia only to find themselves forcibly conscripted to join the invasion of Ukraine. Mudavadi spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, who he said had "agreed that Kenyans...will no longer be eligible to be enlisted," in the "special operation" Moscow's term for the war, now in its fourth year."

"In February, an intelligence report was presented to parliament that estimated 1,000 Kenyans were fighting on behalf of Moscow, five times what authorities had previously thought. This prompted a national outcry. Mudavadi's deputy, Abraham Korir Sing'Oei called for an immediate end to the "unacceptable" practice of Russia using Kenyans as "cannon fodder.""

"Russia has been turning to foreign recruitment to bolster its war effort, with many former soldiers reporting being tricked into enlisting. Earlier this year, South Africa repatriated 15 of its citizens trapped in the Donbas region who said they had been lured there by deceit. In 2024, Nepal said it would stop issuing exit documents for its citizens to work in Russia."

Kenya's Foreign Minister Mudavadi met with Russian counterpart Lavrov in Moscow to address the recruitment crisis affecting Kenyan citizens. Approximately 1,000 Kenyans were lured to Russia under false pretenses of civilian employment, only to be forcibly conscripted into the Ukraine war. An intelligence report revealed the scale of the problem, triggering national outrage in Kenya. Both officials agreed that Kenyans would no longer be eligible for military enlistment in Russia's ongoing operation. Mudavadi emphasized that repatriation efforts were underway while stressing that Kenya-Russia relations extend beyond this issue. Russia has employed similar deceptive recruitment tactics with citizens from other nations, including South Africa and Nepal.

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