Fought against Ukraine, now claimed to be victims: Kenya’s plea for five men held by Ukraine
Kenya says the men took Russian army contracts under false job promises.
Kenya is seeking to have five citizens, currently held by Ukraine in a Ukrainian camp, treated as victims of human trafficking rather than prisoners of war, according to Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. Similar requests have been made by Botswana for its own citizen. Ukrainian ambassador Ivan Kholostenko recently described Russia's involvement in Africa as neocolonialism, highlighting the extraction of resources and the use of the continent as a recruiting ground for its war.
Nearly 500 Africans have died fighting for Russia, and five Kenyans are among those being held. Kenya's President William Ruto has raised the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and the government claims the men were recruited under false pretenses of employment. Ukraine, however, considers most foreign recruits as individuals motivated by financial gain, with few cases of fraud or coercion.
Russia's foreign intelligence reports that the country has recruited over 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries, with over 5,000 killed. Among the 354 Kenyans linked to the war, 37 are African, and at least 213 are held as prisoners of war, including the five Kenyans in question.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
