Jean Onana, a 36-year-old father of three from Cameroon, thought he had found the perfect job opportunity. He saw an advert for job in a Russian shampoo factory and believed this was his chance to provide for his family. Desperate and hopeful, he gathered money for a ticket and flew to Moscow in March.
False Promises in Moscow
But his dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
Soon after landing, Jean and ten others from countries including Bangladesh, Ghana, and Zimbabwe were detained. Instead of factory jobs, they were told they had no choice but to sign contracts to join the Russian military. There was no discussion, no option to leave — just pressure and threats.
Jean was promised a monthly wage far higher than what he could ever earn in Cameroon. He agreed to a one-year military contract, hoping to send money back home. What followed was five weeks of training in Rostov and Luhansk. There, he was among other foreign recruits — young men from Brazil, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
During training, he was allowed to call his family, but once deployed to the front lines in early May, his phone and identification documents were confiscated. Along with eight others, he was ordered to occupy a bunker in eastern Ukraine. That bunker was shelled. Jean was the only one who survived. He lay injured for six days before crawling out and eventually being captured.
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From Students to Soldiers
Jean’s story is not the only one.
Malik Diop, a 25-year-old from Senegal, was studying in Russia when he encountered recruiters at a shopping mall. They offered him a dishwashing job in Luhansk, promising a hefty monthly salary of about $5,700. Believing it was safe job, he signed the contract.
But within days, Malik was handed weapons, grenades, and a helmet. He was driven toward the front line near Toretsk. The journey itself was terrifying. “We started to see dead people in the forest,” Malik later said in a military interview. “Lots of dead people in different buildings. It really affected me.”
He threw away his weapon and deserted as soon as he could. After two days of walking, he was captured.
Their stories are echoed by many others — Africans lured by lies, then forced into a war they never signed up for. According to reports, hundreds, possibly thousands, have faced the same fate. Some have been injured, some captured, and many have died.
Back in Cameroon, social media has filled with desperate messages from families who haven’t heard from their sons in months. Posts share photos of men in Russian uniforms. Some of these posts are later updated with heartbreaking news: their loved ones are dead.
The Hidden War in Factories
The deception doesn’t stop with men on the battlefield. African women have also been misled.
A Russian company recently recruited hundreds of young women — mostly from Africa — promising good wages and even education. They were taken to the Alabuga industrial zone in Yelabuga, east of Moscow.
They thought they’d be doing regular factory job. But they were actually made to build Iranian Shahed drones, the same drones used in attacks in Ukraine. These factories have become military targets. In April 2024, Ukrainian drones hit one of these plants, and several African women were reportedly wounded.
Back in Cameroon, the situation has become so serious that the government tightened travel rules for soldiers in March. They are alarmed by the number of Cameroonian troops deserting and going to Russia, tempted by the promise of money. One soldier even posted his pay slip online, showing just £67 a month, compared to the £1,500 being promised by Russian recruiters.
Raoul Sumo Tayo, a researcher from the Institute of Security Studies, said, “They say it’s better for us to go fight where we earn enough to save something for our families.”
For many like Jean Onana and Malik Diop, the promises turned out to be traps. Instead of jobs in shampoo factories or kitchens, they were sent to war — and not all of them made it back.