Russia expanding recruitment of African mercenaries amid heavy losses in Ukraine war – Bloomberg

As reported by Ukrinform, Bloomberg reported this, citing a presentation obtained from people familiar with the work of Ukrainian intelligence.

Russia is now turning its attention to countries with low levels of democracy, limited press freedom and weak judicial systems.

The countries where Russia has stepped up recruitment include Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone.

According to the presentation, between January 1 and September 30, Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi, compared with 30 for the whole of 2025, and 530 Zimbabwean nationals, up from 65 previously.

Other countries where a significant increase in recruitment has been observed include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon.

Moscow took this step after Kenya and South Africa introduced measures to prevent men from leaving the country to take part in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Russian recruitment program is aimed at “offsetting massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilize.”

Russia has never publicly acknowledged recruiting foreigners to take part in combat operations against Ukraine.

The Kremlin has claimed that Russia has sufficient manpower to continue the war. Last month, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions that he was preparing to announce another wave of mobilization in the country.

However, concern is growing in a number of African countries over Russia’s efforts to recruit their citizens. Given the relative poverty in Africa, people can be more easily lured to Russia, often with false promises of civilian employment, for example in catering or transportation.

Recruits are also offered substantial one-time payments upon signing a contract, high salaries and the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship.

As reported by Ukrinform, in the spring of this year, the Center for Countering Disinformation under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council said the Kremlin had changed its approach to recruiting foreigners into the Russian army for the war against Ukraine, with recruitment now being carried out on a systematic basis.