According to some of those who were fortunate enough to return home, they were forced to assemble military drones and handle chemicals without proper training or protective equipment.

Kenyan President William Ruto last week asked the Ukrainian government to help secure the release of Kenyans currently trapped in the conflict zone.

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About 1,400 Africans from various countries across the continent are fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with some recruited through deception, according to a statement Ukraine released last week.

A Kenyan national was captured in Ukraine in October and said he had been tricked into joining the Russian army.

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Kenya’s embassy in Moscow said that those lured into joining the Russian military were promised $18,000 (about 26,100,000 Rwandan francs) to help cover visa, travel, and accommodation costs.

The Kenyan government has expressed concern about the rising number of its citizens being forced into “coerced criminality,” including drug trafficking and forced labour abroad.

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In September, Kenyan authorities rescued more than 20 Kenyans who were preparing to join the Russia-Ukraine war near the capital, Nairobi.

A few days ago, a person suspected of coordinating the recruitment of Kenyans into Russia was arrested and is now facing prosecution.

South Africa recently launched an investigation into how 17 of its citizens ended up in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which has seen intense fighting.

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Citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka, among others, are being held in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps, according to Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine’s spokesperson on prisoner-of-war affairs, who recently spoke to the BBC.

SOURCE: BBC