Kenya Condemns Recruitment Of Citizens To Fight For Russia As War Nears Fourth Year (Worthy News Investigation)

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

NAIROBI/MOSCOW/KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Kenya has condemned as “unacceptable” the recruitment of its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine, amid reports that several Kenyans have been killed or wounded on the battlefield as the war approaches its fourth anniversary.

Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi said Kenyan authorities are working to dismantle recruitment networks that lure citizens with promises of lucrative jobs abroad before sending them to the front lines.

“It’s unacceptable for them to be participants in this conflict,” junior foreign minister Korir Sing’Oei told French news agency AFP, referring to Kenyans reportedly used as “cannon fodder.”

Mudavadi said he plans to travel to Moscow for talks aimed at “conclusively resolving the matter and identifying sustainable solutions,” including seeking the release of Kenyans reportedly held as prisoners of war in Ukraine and verifying the condition of those hospitalized.

Kenyan officials say they are working to prevent further citizens from being drawn into the armed conflict, which is approaching its fourth anniversary this month. The war began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

DEATHS REPORTED IN UKRAINE

Kenya’s concern follows a report by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) this month that the bodies of two Kenyan nationals recruited by Russia were found near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials identified them as Ombwori Denis Bagaka, born in 1987, and Wahome Simon Gititu, born in 1991.

Their remains were reportedly discovered near the body of another Kenyan, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, whose death had been reported earlier.

Ukrainian intelligence alleged the men were recruited while working abroad and sent to Russia for accelerated training before deployment to the Donbas region, where they were killed during combat operations. Russia has not publicly commented on the claims.

Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acknowledged that more than 200 Kenyans may have joined the Russian military, warning that recruitment networks remain active in both Kenya and Russia.

Authorities said more than 30 Kenyans have been evacuated from Russia in recent months, and several local recruitment agencies have been shut down.

RUSSIA FACES RECRUITMENT STRAIN

The developments underscore Russia’s reported struggle to replenish manpower without declaring full mobilization — a step analysts say could undermine the Kremlin’s narrative that the war remains a limited “special military operation.”

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said in a recent assessment seen by Worthy News that “since February 2022, Russian forces have suffered nearly 1.2 million casualties,” including killed and wounded, losses it described as historically significant.

“At current rates, combined Russian and Ukrainian casualties could reach 2 million by the spring of 2026,” CSIS added.

Western officials have also reported that Russia has relied on foreign recruits and partnerships, including military cooperation with North Korea, which has reportedly supplied ammunition and other support. Moscow has denied some of those allegations.

Despite claims of battlefield momentum, analysts say Russian forces have made incremental territorial gains at high human and economic cost. Russia’s economy has shifted to a wartime footing, but growth has slowed, and manufacturing output is understrain, according to recent assessments.

For Kenya, the priority remains preventing further recruitment of its citizens into Europe’s largest and bloodiest conflict since World War II.

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