Over 200 Kenyans fighting for Russia in Ukraine - Minister

NAIROBI, Kenya

Some 200 Kenyans are fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine and more could be recruited into the conflict, authorities say.

Among them are former members of Kenya's security forces, according to Kenya's Foreign Affairs Minister, Musalia Mudavadi.

Some of those who have been rescued said they were forced to assemble drones and handle chemicals without proper training or protective gear, the minister added.

Kenyan President William Ruto last week requested the Ukrainian government to secure the release of Kenyans currently held in the conflict zone.

About 1,400 citizens from across Africa are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with some recruited through deception, the Ukraine government said last week.

A young Kenyan athlete was in September captured in Ukraine and said that he had been tricked into joining the Russian army.

"Recruitment exercises in Russia have reportedly expanded to include African nationals, including Kenyans," said Mudavadi in a press conference on Wednesday.

"Over 200 Kenyans may have joined the Russian military... recruitment networks are still active in both Kenya and Russia," he added.

Kenya's embassy in Moscow has recorded injuries among some of the recruits, who were allegedly promised up to $18,000 (£14,000) to cover costs for visas, travel, and accommodation, the minister said.

Mudavadi also said the Kenyan government had concerns about the increasing number of nationals who have been recruited into "forced criminality" such as drug trafficking and forced labour in foreign countries.

"These crimes present a serious threat to not only the national security of Kenya but to global security as well."

In September, Kenyan authorities rescued more than 20 nationals who were preparing to join the Russia-Ukraine war near the capital, Nairobi.

One person suspected of coordinating the recruitment of Kenyans to Russia was arrested and is facing prosecution in connection with the scheme.

South Africa recently launched an investigation into how 17 of its citizens ended up in the war-torn region of Donbas in eastern Ukraine.

Citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka, among others, are currently being held in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps, Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine's spokesperson on the treatment of prisoners of war, recently told our reporter.

Ukraine has also previously come in for criticism for trying to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side.