Twenty-seven Ugandans recruited into Russian army killed or missing in Ukraine, Reuters reports
Twenty-seven Ugandan citizens have been killed or gone missing while fighting in Ukraine as members of the Russian military, Reuters reported earlier today, citing a letter from Uganda’s embassy in Moscow to the Foreign Ministry in Kampala. Bloomberg recently reported that Russia had ramped up military recruitment in Africa, turning to poorer countries to look for soldiers to fight in its war…
Twenty-seven citizens of Uganda have perished or gone missing while serving in the Russian military during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, according to a letter from Uganda's embassy in Moscow to the Foreign Ministry in Kampala, reported Reuters. The letter confirmed the deaths of 11 Ugandans, while 16 others remain unaccounted for, with their bodies yet to be discovered and them not among the prisoners of war held by Ukraine.
This information was verified by the Ugandan Foreign Ministry, who received it from Russia's Foreign Ministry through a diplomatic communication. Russia has been ramping up military recruitment in Africa, targeting countries with lower incomes and weaker democratic institutions. In the first nine months of 2026, Russia signed contracts with 699 Burundian citizens for military service, compared to just 30 in all of 2025.
Similarly, the number of recruits from Zimbabwe rose from 65 to 530 over the same period. As of October 1, 2026, a total of 45,900 citizens from foreign countries and unrecognized territories had signed contracts with the Russian military, with 5,400 of these being from African nations. In the first nine months of 2026 alone, Russia recruited 16,200 foreigners, more than the 16,000 recruited during all of 2025.
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