“It’s just business,” say African prisoners of war in Ukraine who went to war knowingly
African prisoners of war who fought against Ukraine told Politico that they joined the Russian army voluntarily, not by deception. They also say they want to return to Russia.
This is stated in the Politico material.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-russia-africa-war-recruits-return/
One of the prisoners of war, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo with the call sign Avatar, said that he sees his future in Russia, not in his native country.
“I have family in Russia, why should I return to Congo? Ukraine simply believes that we will go to war again,” he told Politico.
The Ukrainian side has repeatedly stressed that Moscow is drawing African citizens into the war and using them as a human resource. Thus, in February, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga reported that more than 1,780 mercenaries from 36 African countries are fighting against Ukraine in the Russian army, whom the Russian Federation recruits through fraudulent schemes.
This was also reported by foreign media. In particular, in 2025, the Telegraph wrote that the Russians are luring African farmers to Moscow through fake job advertisements, and then sending them to war against Ukraine.
In an interview with Politico, several African prisoners of war rejected the claim that they were tricked into fighting. They said that they knowingly signed contracts with the Russian military and want to be returned to Russia, not Africa.
“It is not true that Africans were tricked into joining the Russian army. They tell you about the work when you sign the contract. It is just work,” said Avatar.
When journalists asked the prisoners of war why they wanted to join the Russian army, the answer was: money.
“It’s just business,” Avatar said.
Politico reports that Russia is offering African recruits a one-time payment of about $13,000 and a monthly salary of at least $2,000.