What is known
According to Kenyan Member of Parliament Kimani Ichungwah, who worked on a joint intelligence and Criminal Investigations Directorate report and is cited by Le Monde, to date more than 1,000 Kenyan citizens have been recruited and sent to fight on Russia's side in the war against Ukraine. Earlier estimates spoke of several hundred — now the figures are significantly higher, and this has implications for security and diplomacy in the region.
"To date more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited and sent to fight in the Russo‑Ukrainian war"
— Kimani Ichungwah, Member of Parliament of Kenya
How the scheme worked
Recruiters used tourist visas and transit routes through Istanbul and Abu Dhabi, and — to avoid checks — through Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa. Some Kenyans traveled to Russia directly from the countries where they were working. According to the report, recruitment agencies in Nairobi enlisted people by promising pay from €920 to €2,400 per month, and to ensure the flows they relied on corrupt connections at the airport and, according to the MP, embassy staff.
Scale of losses and repatriations
According to Ichungwah: 28 people are missing, 35 are in camps or on military bases, 89 are on the front line, 39 are hospitalized, and 30 have already been repatriated. Separately, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate reported an incident: on 31 January 2026 a mercenary from Kenya (born 1997) was killed in Donetsk region. These figures indicate not only the scale of recruitment but also the real human losses and risks for Kenyan citizens.
Government response and international implications
The Kenyan government has already condemned the use of its citizens as "cannon fodder"; Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi plans to visit Moscow next month. This diplomatic mobilization signals Nairobi's aim not only to bring citizens home but also to compel the partner to explain the recruitment channels. For Ukraine, this is another example of how Russia seeks external resources to bolster its military potential.
What this means and what's next
First, the scheme shows organization: the use of tourist visas, networks of recruitment agencies and corrupt officials points to a systemic approach. Second, it is an information‑legal challenge: Kenya and international partners will have grounds to demand transparency from transit countries and to hold intermediaries accountable. Finally, for Ukraine such cases strengthen the arguments for the need to control mercenaries and to monitor external channels used to replenish the adversary's forces.
Going forward, watch two things: whether Kenya will obtain explanations from Russia and secure the return of its citizens, and whether this will lead to tighter control over transit routes and a crackdown on recruitment agencies. For the reader this is a security issue — not only for Ukraine but also for the regions from which these flows originate: will visa and labor mechanisms be tightened to close off similar schemes?
Sources: Le Monde (based on a Kenyan parliamentary report), statement by MP Kimani Ichungwah, public reports from Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate regarding incidents of mercenary participation.
