Botswana’s government says it is investigating the case of two young men suspected of being recruited to fight in Ukraine, amid growing concern that Africans are being drawn into the war through misleading offers of training and fast cash.
Officials in Gaborone say the men, aged 19 and 20, believed they were travelling to Russia for short-term military training. The Ministry of International Relations says it is now working with diplomats and law enforcement agencies to establish their whereabouts and secure their return.
In a statement, the ministry urged young people to avoid what it described as “dubious and dangerous international recruitment schemes”, warning that offers promising easy money or limited risk are often deceptive. It advised citizens to verify any such opportunities with embassies or consulates before accepting them. The United Nations has also called on African governments to issue clearer warnings to prevent similar cases.
Authorities say the Botswana case reflects a wider pattern across the continent, with reports of young Africans being recruited on false pretences and ending up on the front lines of the Russia–Ukraine war.
In neighbouring Nigeria, a man identified as Kehinde Oluwagbemileke was captured in July by the anti-Kremlin “Freedom for Russia” Legion during fighting in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian officials say he had been studying in Moscow and was enticed to enlist with promises of quick pay and safe duties, but was later sent into heavy combat with little preparation.
A similar case was reported earlier involving a Senegalese national, Malick Diop, who was captured on the Toretsk front in the Donetsk region. Both cases have raised alarms about the vulnerability of young Africans to misinformation and false recruitment networks.
The “Freedom for Russia” Legion, made up of Russian fighters opposed to the Kremlin, regularly calls on foreign combatants to surrender or change sides, accusing Moscow of treating its soldiers as expendable.
