Russia throwing African students into war grinder - media

The Kremlin has been forcing thousands of migrants and foreign students to fight in the ranks of the Russian army in the war against Ukraine, threatening deportation should they refuse.

This was reported by Bloomberg with reference to informed sources, Ukrinform saw.

It is noted that Russian officials increasingly threatened to deny visa extension to African students and young migrant workers if they fail to join the Russian army.

According to an unnamed European official, some Africans staying in Russia on work visas get detained and forced to choose between deportation and combat deployment. Some of them bribe officials to stay in country while avoiding military service.

Another unnamed European official said Russian units, made up of migrants and foreign students, are suffering particularly high casualties as they are increasingly drawn into higher-risk offensive maneuvers thus relieving better-trained units.

Bloomberg, citing Ukrainian intelligence, notes that Russia is running a global campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries in at least 21 countries, including several African nations. Army recruitment campaigns offer lucrative contract bonuses and allowances.

Recruiters also target labor migrants and students who previously sought work in Russia, in some cases luring others with promises of lucrative jobs before forcing them to undergo training and deploy to the front.

A high-ranking Ukrainian official said that among the prisoners Ukraine has captured on the battlefield, the number of foreigners has been increasing as men from across Africa and Nepalese nationals are especially common among them.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, late May, Ukraine’s defense intelligence said Russia had significantly paced up the recruitment of mercenaries from Central Africa, including from Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda, for the war against Ukraine.