‘It was war’: Men recruited to fight for Russia describe treatment on the frontlines – report
· Citizen
Some of the men recruited to fight for Russia in eastern Ukraine have revealed the harsh treatment they were subjected to.
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The men returned home this week after the South African government negotiated their release with Russian officials.
The European Union recently held an online seminar detailing the tactics used by Russia in recruiting impoverished men from around the world.
‘It was not protection work’
The returnees included 15 uMhkonto weSiswe Party members, some allegedly being part of a group that were trained to defend Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla homestead during the July 2021 unrest.
Speaking to the Sunday Times, the men relayed how they were unemployed when recruiters offered VIP bodyguard training oversees.
Upon arrival, they were given weapons and sent to an area facing aerial attacks from Ukrainian drones.
The men stated that they feared for their lives and were angry at having been tricked into combat.
“When they told us we would be protecting leaders, I felt proud. But what we faced in Russia was not protection work. It was war,” one man said.
Another stated the South African men were separated from other Africans as they were considered “cheeky”, and were treated with disdain by the Russian soldiers.
“We were treated like cannon fodder. We were racially abused, denied proper equipment and sent to the most dangerous areas,” the man told the Sunday Times.
‘Exploiting the migrants’
The European External Action Service gave a presentation earlier in February on the tactics used by the Russian military to supplement its numbers on the frontlines.
Based on testimonies from the recruits and their families, the researchers showed that 1 417 African men had been recruited by Russia between 2023 and 2025.
This included 32 South African recruits, with Egypt and Cameroon having the largest contingent with 361 and 335, respectively.
As was the case with the returning South Africans, recruiters tied to the Russian military used fake job offers and fast-tracked visa approvals to lure men from Africa and the poorer parts of Asia.
Senior Researcher at the French Institute of International Relations Thierry Vircoulon said the foreigners were considered easily dispensable.
“Russian soldiers are more and more costly and luring foreigners is a form of cheaper labour. It is about exploiting the migrants,” said Vircoulon.