On May 28, 2024, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported that russia has intensified attempts to recruit Africans to fight in Ukraine. In particular these recruitment efforts focus on the central African countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda. Russia is reportedly offering a sign-up bonus of $2,000, monthly pay of $2,200 and the promise of a russian passport, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
This recruitment campaign is likely to replace russian battlefield losses, which are significant, and to sustain offensive activity in multiple axes across the front. With russia’s finite pool of convict recruitment likely culminated, russia is likely expanding its recruitment across the global south, to avoid additional mobilizations within russia itself. As well as being domestically unpopular for President Putin and the russian government, the previous mobilization for the war resulted in a record labour shortage and an exodus of skilled workers such as doctors and IT professionals.
Read more: The UK Defense Intelligence: russia Deploys Africa Corps to Ukraine’s Northeastern Front
Read more: African Corps of russian Mercenaries Participates in Offensive Against Kharkiv Oblast
