Ugandan man pleads for repatriation after being lured into Russian army

A Ugandan national has made an emotional appeal to his government to facilitate his return home after he was allegedly deceived into travelling to Russia for what he believed was a supermarket job, only to end up being recruited into the Russian army.

Akantorana Richard, who is currently being held as a prisoner of war in Ukraine, said he and other Ugandans were misled by recruitment agents who promised employment opportunities abroad.

Speaking from Ukraine, where he surrendered to Ukrainian forces after escaping from the Russian army, Akantorana urged Ugandan authorities to intervene on behalf of those affected.

“My country Uganda, please, we have a lot of Ugandans who were deceived here who want to come back home,” Akantorana said. “Please do the necessary thing to bring them back home.”

Richard said some of the Ugandans who travelled under similar circumstances have since been arrested, while the whereabouts of others remain unknown.

“They were deceived by those agents in Uganda, and some of them were arrested, and we don’t know where they are,” he said.

“For me, I have escaped and I’m in Ukrainian hands. I am okay,” Akantorana said, adding that he is now seeking help to return home. “Please organise and bring me back home.”

Akantorana’s appeal highlights growing concerns over alleged human trafficking and deceptive recruitment practices targeting Ugandans seeking work abroad. In recent years, authorities have warned against unlicensed agents who lure job seekers with promises of overseas employment, only for them to face exploitation or abuse.

His case also raises questions about the fate of other Ugandans believed to be in similar situations, either detained, missing, or still caught up in the conflict. Richard said several of those who travelled with him, or under similar arrangements, remain unaccounted for.

Ugandan authorities have not yet responded to Akantorana’s appeal.

In an earlier video seen by The Star, Akantorana, born in 1982 and a father of two daughters, said he left Uganda in search of better economic opportunities to support his family.

He narrated that he was approached by an individual who promised him well-paying jobs in Russia, including work in supermarkets, factories, airport security, and cleaning services. Believing the offer was legitimate, he secured a loan from a savings and credit cooperative to finance his travel.

“Somebody found me on the streets and said there are some jobs in Russia… and they are well-paying jobs,” he said. “I got a loan from a sacco to buy a ticket to Russia. We were only four.”

However, upon arrival, Richard said the reality was starkly different. Instead of civilian employment, he and his companions were taken to Balashikha, a city in Russia, where they were informed they would be joining the Russian military.

“I didn’t know we were going to Balashikha. I knew we were going to the supermarket,” he said. “On reaching there, we saw the gates opening and they said, ‘Sorry guys, you are joining the Russian military.’”

He said their objections were dismissed and they were coerced into compliance.

“We told them this is not what brought us here, but they said there’s nothing we can do. You can’t cross the gate; it is locked,” Richard said. “He put us at gunpoint and said you have to sign these papers.”

Akantorana described being transported overnight in a large truck to an undisclosed location.

“At around 1am, they put us inside a big truck and drove us around; we didn’t know where we were,” he said, adding that conditions worsened when they were taken to a forested area and held underground.

“The underground was horrible. There were bedbugs. We were only given biscuits and water.”

He said despair gripped the group, with some suggesting suicide, but he refused.

Akantorana later managed to escape under the cover of darkness and ran until he encountered soldiers from Ukraine’s 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade. He added that he does not know the fate of the three other Ugandans he travelled with.

“I have escaped by God’s grace. The others are in jail somewhere; I don’t know where,” he said.