African countries ask Ukraine to return citizens who fought for Russia and were captured

Several African nations have approached Ukraine to reclaim their citizens who fought for the Russian military and were subsequently captured, Bloomberg reports. Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe initiated this request, with Kenyan Foreign Secretary Musalia Mudavadi stating that the nation demands five citizens held captive by Ukraine be recognized as victims of international human trafficking instead of prisoners of war. President William Ruto spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the matter.

Mudavadi explains that these individuals, with the youngest being 23, cannot be considered prisoners of war since they were "recruited under false promises of employment." Botswana and Zimbabwe have also contacted Ukraine to discuss the return of their citizens. All three countries insist that Africans sent to the frontlines were first promised civilian jobs before being coerced into military service.

Bloomberg states that Ukraine is holding at least 213 foreigners from countries other than Russia and North Korea, 37 of whom are Africans. According to Ukrainian statistics, more than 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries have been recruited by Russia to fight in the war, with over 5,000 having been killed. The Kenyan Wall Street claims Nairobi has official records on 354 citizens who fought in Russia's war against Ukraine, with 84 killed or missing and 62 returned.

Local human rights advocates argue the actual number of recruits could be as high as 841 Kenyans who ended up in combat zones.