Russian records list 11,335 foreign war dead. Ukrainian intelligence says one brigade uses Africans as human shields

On 11 November, Bloomberg reported that leaked Russian death certificates had listed over 11,000 foreigners killed in the war. Two days prior, Ukraine's military intelligence had released an intercepted conversation it claims reveals Russian troops from the 39th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade using recruited Africans as human shields during their movements through the kill zone.

Russia does not disclose how many foreigners it has enlisted; however, analysis by Bloomberg indicates a surge in foreign war deaths, rising more than eightfold from approximately 630 in 2022 to more than 5,500 in 2025. This trend correlates with the increasing military losses suffered by Russia, leading it to send more foreigners to fight in the conflict.

According to intercepted communications obtained by Ukraine's HUR, a commander using racist language toward an African recruit instructed, "Stay on the path, stay on the path the whole time: walk calmly, listen to the air—let the 'chocolate one' go ahead of you. Let him walk about twenty meters out." HUR did not provide specifics on the location or timing of the recorded exchange, but they emphasized that the use of Africans in Russia's army is deemed expendable.

The leaked Russian records detail 11,335 foreigners whose deaths between February 2022 and late August 2026 were directly attributed to the war. Out of this total, just over 6,000 were Russian citizens, about 3,700 were Ukrainian nationals or individuals born in Ukraine following 1991, and roughly 340 came from Africa, predominantly in 2025, with major contributors being Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ghana.

Bloomberg's analysis indicates that deaths from foreign fighters were concentrated in specific waves, including Nepalis in 2023-2024, Sri Lankans and Chinese in 2024-2025, followed by Colombians, Kenyans, and Nigerians from late 2025. Pro-opposition Belarusian group Cyber Partisans and the Ukrainian hacker group Silent Crow both obtained the data.

While Rosstat, Russia's official statistics agency, acknowledged receiving targeted cyberattacks, they denied that their databases were compromised, claiming they have not found any evidence to support this assertion. Bloomberg believes that the records likely underestimate the true toll, as some fighters are classified as missing, and numerous bodies remain unidentified.