Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has alleged that 1,436 individuals from 36 African countries are currently fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
Sybiha said the figure could be lower than the actual number, noting that most African fighters captured by Ukrainian forces were taken during their first combat mission.
He accused Russia of “luring Africans into signing contracts that amount to death sentences,” urging African governments to warn their citizens against involvement in the war.
The statement comes amid growing African diplomatic engagement: Kenyan President William Ruto has asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to release any detained Kenyan nationals, while South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the recruitment of 17 South Africans who joined mercenary groups in the conflict.
The issue underscores mounting strains in Africa–Ukraine relations, amid an intensifying global competition for influence in Africa, playing out in parallel with the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war that began in February 2022.
