On February 26, a Special Anti-Terrorism Court in Nairobi charged Festus Omwamba, who had been detained days earlier near the Ethiopian border. According to Kenyan intelligence, cited by the BBC, he fraudulently recruited citizens to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Investigators say 25 cases have been proven, although the scheme may have involved about 1,000 people.
Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri said recruits were promised skilled jobs in Russia, including security work. They then received tourist visas, flew to Russia, and disappeared. Through its embassy in Moscow, Kenya established that at least 89 Kenyans are currently at the front, 39 are in hospitals with combat injuries, and at least 28 are missing.
Kenyans who returned from Russia told the Associated Press that their passports were taken on arrival and that they were sent to training camps for one to three weeks before being moved to the front line. An intelligence report cited by the BBC also points to possible collusion between recruiters and staff at airports, immigration services, and other state agencies. Recruits were promised about $2,400 in pay, plus one-time bonuses of $6,000 to $8,000.
The case drew added attention after reports by the rights groups Vocal Africa and Bitter Winter. They say structures linked to the Russian Orthodox Church’s African Exarchate, created in late 2021, may have helped identify recruits. According to Bitter Winter, young people in Kenya were offered church-funded study opportunities in Russia, but some later had their documents confiscated and came under military control.
“Either you fight, or we kill you,” Kenyan athlete Evans Kibet said he was told in a Russian military camp after arriving in the country.
The Russian embassy in Kenya denied reports of African recruitment, calling them propaganda, while also noting that Russian law allows foreigners to take part in combat on Russia’s side. The investigations’ authors argue that the Kenyan case shows how church and humanitarian channels can be used to support tasks connected to Russia’s military presence in Africa.