Russia is recruiting more African men for its army, and it is now focusing on poorer states with weak courts and little press freedom. This is according to a Ukrainian intelligence presentation seen by Bloomberg, Moneyweb reported.
The presentation said Russia turned to Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone in the first nine months of this year. This came after Kenya and South Africa tried to stop their men from leaving to join Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The programme aims at “offsetting massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilise,” the presentation reads.
Between 1 January and 30 September, Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi, the presentation said. In all of 2025, it recruited only 30 from that country. It also recruited 530 Zimbabweans, up from 65.
The presentation said the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon also saw big increases. Russia also began recruiting in Madagascar for the first time since the war started.
Madagascar’s military took power in a coup last year. It has since built closer ties with Moscow, including receiving military equipment and food from Russia.
At the same time, Russia almost stopped military recruitment in at least nine African countries, the presentation said. It is instead trying to hire their citizens to work in its defence industry.
Ukraine said it has found 45,959 foreigners from 151 countries who signed contracts with the Russian military. Of these, 5,451 are African.
Russia has never publicly admitted using foreigners to fight in Ukraine. The Kremlin has said the country has enough people for the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to a request for comment.
Several African countries have raised concerns about the recruitment. Men are often lured to Russia with false promises of civilian jobs in catering or transport.
Some families of recruits and an Amnesty International report said men were offered large signing bonuses and salaries. They were also offered a path to Russian citizenship.
The governments of South Africa and Botswana issued public warnings about well-paid job offers in Russia. Zimbabwe arrested two Russian citizens it suspected of recruiting for the military.
Botswana’s foreign minister told Parliament on Monday that 15 recruited Botswanans are missing. The minister said the country has contacted both Ukrainian and Russian authorities.
Kenya and Ghana asked Russia directly to stop the activity. Kenyan politicians said at least 1,000 citizens have been recruited. Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi travelled to Moscow earlier this year to object.
In a report released on Monday, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine also looked at the issue. It said Russian authorities “have trafficked persons from 29 countries, using deception or coercion, to recruit them in the Russian armed forces.”
The commission said a global network of agents working with Russian authorities moved recruits to Russia. There, they were forced to sign contracts they did not understand and were sent to the army.
Its findings were based on 245 interviews with captured fighters, fighters who returned home and families of recruits. The recruits were aged between 18 and 60.
Ukraine has said it will only free captured foreign nationals if they are swapped for Ukrainian troops held by Russia.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Moneyweb. Image: Moneyweb. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Business desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Anelisa Nkuna covers business and money news for Tzaneen Voice. Anelisa reports on the rand, fuel prices, interest rates, jobs, Eskom, Transnet, farming and company results. The aim is simple: explain what the numbers mean for household budgets, small businesses and workers in South Africa.