Russia using African recruits as ‘suicide bombers’ in Ukraine war | World | News

Russia is allegedly recruiting Africans under false pretenses to fight in Ukraine, according to Kiev’s ambassador to Cape Town. Thousands of Africans are believed to have been persuaded to move to the front lines through deceptive promises or offers of lucrative salaries as Moscow sought to compensate for the significant losses of its own forces.

Olexander Scherba told The Telegraph that the recent row between members of a South African political party with links to Moscow showed the Kremlin “doesn’t care about its allies”. Speaking at the Ukrainian embassy in Pretoria, the ambassador said: “There can be all kinds of charm attacks on the African continent, but when an African comes to this fight, he becomes meat in the meat grinder.”

Mr. Scherba added that the scandal showed that Russia was “looking at Africa with imperialist eyes.”

Recently, many African countries have warned their citizens about fraudulent schemes offering employment or training opportunities in Russia, ultimately resulting in the deployment of troops to war zones.

The ambassador’s comments emerged after images appeared online showing African soldiers being harassed by Russian officers.

In one of the videos, an African mercenary with an explosive device is seen being forced at gunpoint through a trench and ordered to attack Ukrainian positions. Using racist language, the Russian soldier tells the recruit he has been assigned as a “can opener” to run through the woods and blow himself up to “open” an enemy bunker.

A new video released on Sunday shows new African mercenaries singing in their native language in a snow-covered forest. The Russian soldier recording the scene comments: “Look how many disposable items there are.”

He adds, mocking the troops: “They will sing differently” when they arrive at the front.

South Africa is closely monitoring the case of 17 men who were allegedly tricked into traveling to Russia to receive bodyguard training by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former president Jacob Zuma.

The men told reporters they expected to return to work in the protection unit of Mr Zuma’s Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party. However, they eventually signed military contracts and were sent to the front line; They remained there despite Mr Zuma’s appeal to Moscow for their release.

Ms Zuma-Sambudla insists she believes the men were only involved in non-combat paramilitary training. The 43-year-old actor, who is a member of parliament from his father’s party and often expresses his support for Vladimir Putin, stated that he was misguided and that he never intended to recruit anyone for war or mercenary duties.

A letter Mr Zuma allegedly wrote to Russian defense minister Andrey Belousov claimed the men had been “misled” and signed contracts under “clearly misleading conditions”.

There is no suggestion that Mr Zuma was aware of or involved in this deception.

Mr Scherba said: “The whole story about Zuma’s family members, if the story is true and it appears to be true, is a testament to how much Russia ultimately does not value Africans. Those who are devoted to Russia, even those who love Russia, may end up like meat in a meat grinder.”

While impoverished Russians make up the majority of Putin’s troops, Ukraine estimates that as many as 1,400 Africans are deployed on the front lines. Hundreds of people are believed to have died.

Some recruits reportedly understood the dangers, while others were deceived by promises of employment or training opportunities. Under South African law, serving in a foreign military is prohibited.

Nairobi launched an investigation into the kidnapping of Kenyans to fight this year after Ukrainian forces captured long-distance runner Evans Kibet, who claimed he was tricked into traveling to Russia for an exhibition race. The Kenyan government later identified at least 82 citizens involved in the Ukraine conflict.

Mr. Scherba warned those enticed by promises of significant fees that they were unlikely to receive any payment. “There are a lot of ways the Russians can trick you and steal your money,” he said, adding that the life expectancy of new recruits is typically just 72 hours.

He said: “Think of how short the life expectancy of Africans is because they care so much less about foreigners than they do about their own citizens.”