Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) reported that Russia has intensified attempts to recruit Africans to fight in Ukraine, according to a tweet from the UK Ministry of Defence.

The update specifies that “these recruitment efforts focus on the central African countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda.”

Russia is reportedly offering incentives including “a sign-up bonus of $2,000, monthly pay of $2,200, and the promise of a Russian passport.”


The UK Ministry of Defence suggests this recruitment campaign is “likely to replace Russian battlefield losses, which are significant, and to sustain offensive activity in multiple axes across the front.” The tweet notes that with “Russia’s finite pool of convict recruitment likely culminated, Russia is likely expanding its recruitment across the global south, to avoid additional mobilisations within Russia itself.”

The update also highlights the domestic implications of previous mobilisations, stating that they “resulted in a record labour shortage and an exodus of skilled workers such as doctors and IT professionals.”

This suggests that further domestic mobilisation is “domestically unpopular for President Putin and the Russian government.”

George Allison
George Allison
George has a degree in Cyber Security from Glasgow Caledonian University and has a keen interest in naval and cyber security matters and has appeared on national radio and television to discuss current events. George is on Twitter at @geoallison
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38 COMMENTS

    • Truly crazy.

      And what will the morale be like for people not used to the European winter? Particularly as they will have all the world class battle field kit promised…..not!

      • And them waking up to being duped to fight in this conflict. Absolutely a dead end on Evil st! Quite literally.
        Let’s hope the world’s eyes are on Russia and its friends while the Olympics are on. 🕵️

      • I don’t know why the US still has embargoes on Cuba? Why not try and make up even partially and have some sort of economic relationship? Stop the wasting of time and engage.

        • Yes. To still be angry about whatever happened 60 years on does seem a little excessive. That said perhaps they burried something that otherwise might have ended badly for a lot of people. Something that never fully was made public.

        • Why ? Because Cuba nationalised U.S assets and didn’t compensate them and then ran a vile government that ignores human rights

          • Still, it’s good to have some eyeball to eyeball relationship even if there’s been a bit of bad history which is not always one sided. Buy them a drink, have a meal, explore business, trade, tourism, hell, invite them to the White House! There’ll always be something to connect on. There’re right in the US’s back yard or, is their front yard?…lol😆. Doesn’t the US still operate the Guamtunamo (?) facility there, how does that work then?

    • Take into account Putins latest offering of a ceasefire if Ukraine agrees to handover the 4 claimed regions plus a load of other demands that would be completely unacceptable to any nation which they must know, you would have to conclude there must be another motive. Chuck in Medvedev call for mass disruption of Western systems such as banking, government, energy and many other sectors by the established APT cyber groups to commit as much mayhem aa possible. I can only assume he us trying to oysh NATO into the conflict so they can in their books launch a strategic battlefield weapon that would cause such a negative response in the West that we would then push Ukraine to sue for peace on Russian terms. Can see a lot of people poo pooing the idea, but I firmly believe this is their aim.

      • Maybe mate. We need to be seen to be serious and both party’s in the future rhetoric doesn’t yet cover that.

        • I read that Russia Haa lost huge numbers in the last week or so, also Ukraine hitting high value targets. I get the impression from the Russian rhetoric they are starting to get a bit desperate and that could lead to dangerous actions. Fully agree they need to be faced down.

    • They’ve been doing this since 2022, it’s just it’s had very limited success and the Russian’s don’t broadcast much about their mercenaries, so it’s well outside the public consciousness.

  3. If you believe everything from ukrainian media… still I haven,t seen a single african soldier with russian uniform.

  4. Just listened to and read some of the Labour manifesto. On defence they will “set out a path” to spending 2.5 per cent but with no time frame, but we will get a defence commissioner. Wow!!

  7. Is it time for more counter and foreign relations engagement with these countries, despite differences, by the UK, Europe, USA, the West in general, even the UN, to make them more aware of what’s happening to their own peoples ? Even Nepal has had some of its people bribed or enticed to fight with Russian forces. Absolute madness, maybe brainwashed, bad choice, maybe no choice for some? Do their home governments care for their own people going abroad as mercenaries?

  9. There has been a huge effort by Russia (and Iran/China) put into generating anti-western revisionist propaganda by Citing and amplifying negative history such as colonisation/exploitation/slave trade as a tool to cause the younger generation to rebel against or hate their own history.

    And then, they exploit the ‘cheap’ resources of Africa to fuel their wars

  10. OT, slightly.
    BBC News on-line (2/8/23) stated that there are 5,000 Russian women on deployment in Ukraine. Now 3 days ago reports (Business Insider, NY Times, Yahoo News) that they are now recruiting female convicts.

    • I’d expect Ukraine to do any desperate act to save their country, so whatever it takes, so not sure why that’s being raised. But it’s interesting to see how an invading force of a sovereign nation with vague objectives shores up it’s losses.

    • In case anyone is confused, these are Russian women (non-convicts) and now Russian female convicts in the Russian Army.

      • Hilarious. I’ll back women’s right to fight on the front line to the hilt, but Russia under Putin has been so big on the “Stronk masucline Russia, beat sissy NATO who let girls fight for them.” that it’s just funny seeing them cave.

  11. Fully expecting a North Korean ‘training exercise’ involving many thousands of troops in eastern Ukraine anytime soon. At least when they do some nations can respond in kind and send a training mission to the East.

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