Botswana says Russian Federation is rapidly recruiting its citizens for war against Ukraine
The Ministry of International Relations of Botswana has announced a rapid increase in citizens who are being tricked or coerced into fighting on the side of Russia in the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-18/botswana-says-citizens-recruited-for-russia-war-at-alarming-rate
On July 18, the Ministry of International Relations of Botswana published a statement warning citizens against accepting job offers without verifying their authenticity. The whole reason is that many are being tricked into going abroad and then forced to participate in hostilities against Ukraine.
“The number of Botswanans being misled into such schemes is growing at an alarming rate. The ministry continues to receive desperate calls from Botswanans already on the front lines describing the dangerous conditions they face,” the statement said.
Bloomberg noted that countries such as Kenya and South Africa have previously arrested and charged individuals who recruited Africans to fight in Russia’s war.
Incidentally, a February report by the nonprofit Inpact, which runs the All Eyes On Wagner program, said at least 316 Africans had died fighting in Ukraine.
Kenya, in turn, said that 1,000 of its citizens had been recruited to fight in the war.
https://www.rbc.ua/rus/news/botsvani-zayavili-shcho-rf-strimko-verbue-1784382969.html
On July 10, the BBC Russian Service, Mediazona and volunteer teams reported that at least 3,589 foreign citizens had died in the war against Ukraine on the side of Russia.
In early 2026, the American think tank Foundation for Defense of Democracies published a report on the Russian program Alabuga Start in Tatarstan. Researchers said that young women from Africa and Latin America were being recruited to Russia as part of this program.
In March, the European Parliament accused Russia of using human trafficking schemes to recruit foreigners for the war against Ukraine. MEPs called on EU countries and the governments of the countries of origin of the recruited citizens to strengthen cooperation to investigate such cases, prevent similar schemes and return victims home.