Kateryna Girnyk12:18, 06/09/24
Russia sends students from Africa to the war in Ukraine/ UNIAN collage / photo online.ua,
ua.depositphotos.com
The Kremlin threatens to deport the Africans if they do not sign the contract.
Russia is conducting a global campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries in at least 21 countries, including several African states . Army recruitment campaigns offer lucrative signing bonuses and salaries to those who join them as contractors. The Kremlin is also sending thousands of migrants and foreign students to fight alongside Russian troops in the war against Ukraine, Bloomberg writes .
“Using a tactic first used by the Wagner mercenary group, Russian officials are increasingly threatening not to extend visas to African students and young workers if they do not agree to join the armed forces,” the newspaper said, citing officials familiar with the matter.
It is noted that some Africans who are in Russia on work visas have been detained and are forced to choose between deportation and going to the front. Some of them were able to pay off to stay in the country and avoid military service, said one of the European officials.
Another interlocutor of the publication noted that the Russian practice of sending migrants and students into battle under duress appeared at the beginning of the war. These servicemen suffer particularly high losses because they are increasingly being sent on risky offensive maneuvers to protect better-prepared units.
Earlier this year, the Kathmandu government said it was aware of approximately 400 young Nepalese men recruited by Russia, but many more likely signed up without the government’s knowledge. India’s decision to stop recruiting Nepali Gurkhas into its army, ending a 200-year-old tradition, may have prompted Nepalis to seek work in Russia and other countries, Bloomberg notes.
Also, one of the Ukrainian officials stated that the number of foreign fighters has increased among the prisoners captured by Ukraine on the battlefield. According to him, Africans and Nepalese are especially common.
According to Yevhen Primakov, the head of the Russian Cooperation, an organization that spreads knowledge about Russia abroad, 35,000 to 37,000 African students are currently studying in Russia.
African mercenaries in the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine
As UNIAN reported, earlier in the intelligence of Britain they said that during the offensive on Vovchansk, Russia used the “African Corps”. According to her, these units were most likely previously deployed in Syria, Libya, Burkina Faso and Niger.
The GUR noted that Russia has significantly intensified its campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries for the war against Ukraine. It is about recruiting manpower in central Africa, in particular – in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda.
“Mercenaries are lured with an initial payment of $2,000 for signing a contract, they promise a monthly allowance of $2,200, medical insurance, as well as a Russian passport for the soldier and his family members,” – the GUR said.
(C)UNIAN 2024
If they die in huge numbers, fuck’em; they made their choice.
However, two can play at that game. I long ago suggested that Ukraine needs a vast source of mercs; give poor people of the world the chance to fight for the real pros; and on the side of good vs pure nazi evil.
Start with the Peshmerga; great fighters and they hate putlerstan.
Instead of getting their education and helping Africa with its countless problems, these young people will alternatively get wasted in a senseless war for a little fascist war criminal.
Exactly, Mr. Facts! Those bright young people could contribute to their countries’ development for many decades. But instead, in a year most of them will be dead or crippled. Putin is unscrupulously sacrificing the future of African nations for his own selfish goals. The governments of the students home countries should be aware of that and stop that brutal exploitation, in their own best interests. It should be obvious by now that Putler doesn’t give a damn about the consequenes of his war for Africa. 😠
Don’t fool yourself about that, Mr. Gray. Those African countries are not shining examples of freedom and democracy. Those goons in charge there are probably getting paid by mafia land to allow them to do this.
Do African countries simply stand by when Russia puts their best and brightest into the meat grinder? These ambitious young people are the future of their nations, either by returning there and putting their education to work or by staying abroad and financially supporting their families at home. If the become crippled or even killed in Russia in large numbers, this will have negative consequences for their countries. How long will African governments tolerate this bad state of affairs before there’s a backlash against Russia’s cynical recruitment program? 🤔
Do you think Africans care about their own citizens? Most of them are corrupt hell holes just ripe for exploitation by the terrorists in the kremlin.
I have no illusions about the ethics of African governments, F1, but as I pointed out, Putin’s brutal exploitation of those foreign students will have negative consequences for their home countries. Even corrupt dictators can see that this is a bad deal for their states. 🤨
It depends how big the bribe is. Most dictators never look to the future, they might not be in charge, then it becomes someone else’s problem. You would think word would get back to Africa, and these Africans that are being exploited would warn people about going to russia.
Ok, that’s a point, F1. Shortsighted dictators may be blindfolded by tempting bribes. But the smarter ones, and heads of state that have to fear elections, will be more concerned about the future. And this Russian destruction of African countries brightest young people must raise alarms. There still may be diplomatic reluctance against rising tensions with Russia, but there have to be actions to stop this. ☹