James Kamau Ndungu, a 32-year-old unemployed Kenyan, told only a few friends in mid-2025 that he had been promised a day-laborer job in Russia, the New York Times reports. In June he sent friends a photo from Istanbul Airport, saying he was in transit. A few weeks later another photo arrived — this time he was in fatigues, holding a gun. By August he wrote that he was in a trench in Ukraine, told friends things were bad, and asked for prayers. No one in Kenya has heard from him since. His memorial was held in March in Kiambu County, Kenya. His body has never been returned.
Kamau's case is not isolated, the NYT reports. A growing number of African men are arriving on the Ukraine front lines after being recruited with promises of ordinary civilian work in Russia, ranging from bodyguard to line cook, only to be forced into Russian military service. Some go willingly as mercenaries, but the publication reports that many more are drawn in unwittingly.
Ukraine's intelligence reports over 28,000 foreign nationals serving in Russia's army as of May 2026, plus 14,000 North Korean troops. Russia promises them fast-track citizenship for themselves and families after a one-year contract. Recruits also get sign-on bonuses up to $43,000 and high monthly pay. The country plans to enlist 18,500 more foreigners this year using incentives and coercion.
The recruitment networks
A string of what the NYT calls "fly-by-night companies" has been set up across the continent to feed the pipeline. The firms typically present themselves as travel agencies or job placement businesses, according to the publication, and advertise on WhatsApp and Telegram.
The Times interviewed several recruits and recruiters. The reporting suggests that the recruitment firms do not work directly with the Defense Ministry in Moscow. Contracts the publication reviewed were written in Russian, meaning the African men signing them could not read what they were agreeing to.
Why Africa
Formal jobs are scarce across much of Africa, making the offer of work overseas a powerful pull, the NYT notes. The continent also has the world's fastest-growing youth population, which the publication says makes it a prime target for false military recruitment.
The investigation was reported from Nairobi by Matthew Mpoke Bigg, who reviewed documents from men who had gone to Russia and spoke to a war survivor and to families of those killed or missing. John Eligon and Zimasa Matiwane reported from Johannesburg, where they interviewed recruiting agents, reviewed contracts, and spoke to a job seeker who travelled to Russia. Photography is by Ed Ram.
