Ukraine: Bodies of two more Kenyan recruits discovered

The bodies of two Kenyans reported to have been recruited by Russia to fight in the Ukraine war have been found, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine has said, in a disclosure that places more foreign nationals among the dead on the frontline.

In a statement on the situation near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, the agency said its personnel recovered the remains of two Kenyan citizens alongside the body of another Kenyan fighter killed in the same area.

The discovery points to a group deployed together and wiped out during a single combat mission.

“All three Kenyans were lured into Russia's war against Ukraine in Qatar, where they worked for security companies with high, stable incomes,” the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said.

Ukrainian intelligence said the men travelled separately to a recruitment centre in Yaroslavl over several weeks.

There, an intermediary allegedly handled their paperwork and logistics, signed military contracts on their behalf and took control of key financial arrangements before they were moved onward for training.

Documents linked to one of the recruits show that the Kenyan granted another person power of attorney “to act as my lawful representative and attorney-in-fact,” including the right to sign contracts, receive wages and manage bank accounts on his behalf. Investigators say such provisions effectively left the recruits dependent on handlers once inside Russia.

From Yaroslavl, the group was transported to a military unit at the Pogonovo training ground near Voronezh. Kyiv says the site is used for accelerated preparation before new arrivals are dispatched directly to combat zones with limited instruction.

“The enemy uses this ground for accelerated military training, sending recruits directly to units of the occupation army engaged in combat operations,” the agency said.

Within the same unit, it added, “a ‘penal battalion’ has been formed,” where prisoners, disciplinary cases and foreign mercenaries are concentrated.

Citing testimony from captured Russian soldiers, Ukrainian officials said such formations are often tasked with the most dangerous assaults.

Personnel, they said, are deployed on what troops describe as “one-way” missions, with little expectation of survival, reinforcement or evacuation.

The Ukrainian intelligence body said that after a short training period, the Kenyans were sent to the Donbas front and ordered to take part in an assault on Lyman.

“While moving through the so-called ‘kill zone,’ the Ukrainian Defense Forces eliminated all three mercenaries — the first battle became the last,” the statement said, adding that Russian commanders “did not take any measures to support or evacuate the mercenaries from the battlefield.”

The agency argued the episode illustrates how Moscow treats foreigners in its ranks.

“For Moscow, they’re just cheap human resources that can be burned with impunity,” it said, alleging that rapid casualties also create opportunities for recruiters to profit from compensation payments.

Back in Kenya, the reality is hitting families hard, with news that other citizens believed to have travelled for security-related work in Russia or neighbouring states remain unaccounted for.

With little official information, some families have already held symbolic burials, mourning relatives whose bodies have not been returned and are believed to still be in conflict zones.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine said it is continuing to document cases of foreign nationals being drawn into Russia’s forces and issued a blunt warning.

“A trip to Russia is a real chance to end up in a suicide squad and, ultimately, to rot in Ukrainian soil,” it said, urging would-be recruits to stay away as the war grinds on.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, marking a major escalation of the conflict that began in February 2014. Russian forces entered from multiple directions, including Belarus, Russia and occupied Crimea, initiating the largest war in Europe since World War II.

As of February 2026, Russia continues to occupy nearly 20 per cent of Ukrainian territory, with ongoing intense fighting and high casualties. Russia and Ukraine have held US-brokered talks in the UAE in recent times, resulting in localised, short-term truces, but no comprehensive, lasting ceasefire agreement has been sustained since the 2022 invasion.