Russia Forces African Migrants to Fight in Ukraine War

Vladimir Putin 

European officials claim that Russia forces students and migrants from Africa to fight in Ukraine.

Russia is accused of forcing African students and migrants to fight in Ukraine, threatening visa extensions and using coercive tactics. Despite high casualties, Russia continues this practice to bolster its depleted forces. European officials condemn the practice, which targets vulnerable individuals, including those in detention centers.

According to a Bloomberg article, Russia is allegedly forcing thousands of refugees and international students—especially those from Africa—to engage in its conflict with Ukraine in exchange for the renewal of their visas.

European officials have determined that in order to increase its military force, the Kremlin is utilizing strategies akin to those first utilized by the Wagner mercenary organization.

Russia has been accused of using a coercive tactic to recruit young African workers and students into its military, threatening to deny them visa extensions if they refuse to enlist, according to a recent study.

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Moscow has occasionally recruited criminals and imprisoned Africans on work visas, forcing them to decide between being deported and fighting.

According to reports, some individuals have resorted to bribing officials to evade military service and extend their stay in the country.

It has been stated that some people have been able to buy off officials so they can stay in the nation instead of being conscripted.

These individuals have high rates of casualties because they are frequently put on dangerous missions to protect more highly trained troops. This practice of pressuring migrants and students into military duty began earlier in the conflict.

Russia has continued to employ these tactics, despite the considerable danger and substantial casualties, as a desperate measure to bolster its depleted forces amidst devastating losses.

In response to demands for comment on these accusations, the Russian Foreign Ministry remained silent.

A global recruitment push by Russia to recruit foreign mercenaries from at least 21 countries, including numerous African countries, appears to have been underway, according to Ukrainian intelligence.

These recruitment campaigns have targeted immigrants and students looking for work in Russia and offer contract troops significant signing bonuses and salaries.

In the meantime, Ukrainian intelligence indicates that Russia has been recruiting foreign mercenaries worldwide, allegedly from as many as 21 countries, including several in Africa.

In spite of this, Russian soldiers in northeastern Ukraine have lost a great deal of ground and have only made sluggish progress.

Russia suffered its greatest casualty rate of the war in May, according to figures from the UK Ministry of Defence, losing more than 1,200 soldiers every day.

UK estimates state that since the invasion began, about 500,000 Russian soldiers have died or been injured; Bloomberg has not independently confirmed these numbers.

The Wagner mercenary outfit reportedly recruited multiple African citizens from Russian jails, according to a previous report by Reuters.

Rossotrudnichestvo's head, Yevgeny Primakov, has stated that there are currently between 35,000 and 37,000 African students studying in Russia. His organization works to spread Russian expertise overseas.

Primakov noted that 6,500 African students receive scholarships each year and are enrolled in Russian educational institutes.

“Every year, we sign up about 6,500 students from Africa to study in Russia for free,” he stated on Thursday at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.