Duped and deployed: the Kenyans fighting for Russia

Kenya's economic desperation sustains a recruitment pipeline sending men into Russia's war despite a government-announced halt and ongoing prosecutions.

• Scale of recruitment: Kenya's government estimated over 1,000 Kenyans recruited to fight for Russia; Ukrainian intelligence puts total foreign recruits near 30,000 from countries including India, China, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Congo.
• Bait-and-switch pipeline: Recruits like ex-Air Force pilot 'Stephen' and farmer Duncan applied for advertised 'security', 'driver' or 'factory' jobs paying up to 330,000 KES (~£2,000)/month, only to be routed via Istanbul and St. Petersburg into Russian infantry within weeks.

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