European Parliament: Russia recruits thousands of mercenaries from Africa to fight Ukraine
Russia is recruiting thousands of low-income citizens in African countries, Asia and Cuba and sending them to Ukraine on false pretences to take part in combat operations alongside Russian forces.
The Russian military is being actively reinforced with citizens of African nations who are promised civilian employment, but are instead sent to carry out the most dangerous tasks on the front line with Ukraine.
A total of 479 members of the European Parliament voted in favour of the European Parliament resolution on human trafficking and grave human rights violations linked to the recruitment of non-Russian nationals, in particular from Africa, for Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, out of 539 present; 17 voted against and 43 abstained.
"Russia is using deceptive recruitment tactics and coercion to recruit thousands of foreign nationals from different African states, and is also recruiting individuals from Cuba and South and Central Asia, to sustain its brutal, unprovoked, unjustified, illegal war of aggression against Ukraine," the resolution reads.
Members of the European Parliament drew attention to reports from several African states that have uncovered "recruitment networks that systematically target individuals from low-income areas, mainly through social media platforms, with false promises of employment, education or citizenship".
"Recruits are enticed to travel to Russia, deprived of their identity documents and forcibly conscripted under coercion or threats," the authors of the resolution explain.
As an example, they cited the case of Francis Ndung'u Ndarua, a Kenyan citizen who was recruited on false pretences and sent to the front line in Ukraine, which "illustrates the extreme cruelty of these practices".
Russia recruits Africans "through state-linked companies, intermediaries, military structures and embassy officials".
"African recruits are made to do the most dangerous frontline duties, treated as expendable and subjected to racial abuse and discrimination," the resolution says.
It also highlights that "hundreds of African women have reportedly been deceived into working in drone-assembling factories in Russia under highly dangerous and exploitative conditions".
The European Parliament therefore "strongly condemns the trafficking and coercive recruitment of foreign nationals into Russia's military service and war-related labour exploitation".
The resolution urges Russia to inform Ndarua's relatives of his whereabouts and the state of his health and allow him to return to his homeland.
The United States has said thousands of Cuban mercenaries are fighting in Ukraine on Russia's side, specifically stating that up to 5,000 Cubans are fighting for Russia.
Europol is reported to have helped Ukraine and Moldova identify more than 650 mercenaries from Russian private military companies.