Instead of work, there is a front: a scheme to recruit mercenaries into the Russian army for the war against Ukraine was exposed in Kenya

Kenyan authorities have arrested a man suspected of smuggling Kenyan citizens to Russia for further participation in the war against Ukraine.

This is reported by the BBC .

A Nairobi court has ordered Edward Kamau Gituku, suspected of leading a criminal network recruiting and sending Kenyans to Russia, to be remanded in custody for 10 days. According to police, the perpetrators deceived people by promising them legal work, but instead sent them to the front.

Gituka was arrested on September 25 during a special operation near Nairobi. During the raid, security forces rescued 22 people who were being prepared for deportation to Russia. The investigation is currently identifying other possible accomplices in the criminal scheme.

The investigation was intensified after Ukraine released a video of the interrogation of Evans Kibet, a 36-year-old Kenyan former professional runner who was captured. He said he arrived in Russia as a tourist, where he was offered help with an overdue visa and a job. He was later forced to sign documents in Russian, his passport and phone were taken, and he was then sent to a military camp.

“They said that from now on I was obliged to serve in the Russian army. When I refused, they threatened to ‘zero out’ me,” Kibet claimed.

After a week of basic training, he was sent to the front line, but the man managed to escape, threw off his military uniform, and surrendered to Ukrainian soldiers in the Volchansk direction.

The Kenyan government confirmed that it is in contact with Moscow and Kyiv regarding the circumstances of Kibet’s case and other Kenyan citizens who may be in Ukrainian captivity. Authorities said that such schemes pose a threat to the security of Kenyans and the country is stepping up controls to prevent new cases.

By the way, the Kremlin is actively recruiting residents of the Middle East to participate in the war against Ukraine , in particular, the Russian Federation is conducting large-scale campaigns together with Iran.

We will remind, in July, in the Zaporizhia direction , servicemen of the GUR unit “Legion “Freedom of Russia” captured a mercenary from Africa , who joined the ranks of the Russian army. By the way, the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured citizens of Togo , who participated in the war on the side of the Russian army.

Earlier, near Toretsk in the Donetsk region , the Ukrainian Defense Forces captured another Chinese mercenary . It is known that from April 2023 to May 2024 , Russia recruited more than 1,500 foreign citizens to wage war against Ukraine.

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