Kenya probes claims that citizens were tricked into fighting for Russia in the Ukraine war

Kenya’s National Intelligence Service has revealed that nearly 1,000 Kenyans were recruited and transported to Russia under false promises of employment, only to be sent to fight in the war in Ukraine , according to a report presented in Parliament on Wednesday.

Parliamentary majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah accused recruitment agencies of working in collusion with officials from the Russian Embassy to mislead jobseekers into believing they would receive skilled employment such as plumbing and electrical work. The recruits were allegedly issued tourist visas and later pressured to sign military contracts written in Russian upon arrival.

The Russian Embassy in Nairobi rejected the allegations, stating that it had never issued visas to individuals intending to fight in Ukraine. However, it acknowledged that Russia permits foreign nationals to voluntarily enlist in its armed forces.

According to intelligence findings, 89 Kenyans were deployed to front-line combat zones , with 39 hospitalized , 28 reported missing in action , and at least one death confirmed . Officials say several dozen estimated at around 30 have since returned to Kenya , describing how they received minimal military training before being sent into heavy combat shortly after arrival.

Families across Kenya have appealed to the government to intervene, saying their relatives were deceived and in some cases are now held as prisoners of war in Ukraine. The Foreign Ministry has previously warned citizens against suspicious overseas job offers and confirmed that two recruiters were arrested last year and released on bail pending trial.

Kenyan involvement is not the result of a state policy or military agreement. Instead, it reflects economic vulnerability and labor migration pressures , with many young people seeking work abroad amid high unemployment. Recruiters allegedly exploited this desperation by advertising well-paid civilian jobs in Russia before redirecting recruits into military service.

This differs sharply from the presence of soldiers from North Korea , who are believed to have been deployed through formal government-to-government arrangements . North Korean troops operate as part of a state-controlled military contingent, reportedly sent under political and strategic agreements with Moscow.