Russia lured African farmers by fake job adverts, then sent them to fight against Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.

◾ 36-year-old Jean Onana from Cameroon came to Moscow after seeing an advert for job at a shampoo factory, but almost immediately found himself on the front lines.

Along with other migrants from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Ghana, he was detained and told that there would be no job - only a contract with the Russian army and deployment to the front. Of the nine people in the bunker, he was the only one to survive - and he was taken prisoner by the Ukrainians.

◾ Another African, 25-year-old Malik Diop from Senegal, said he was recruited to wash dishes in Luhansk for $5,700 a month. But a week later, he was already on the front line with the weapon. After seeing dead people in the forest, he deserted, and two days later, he was captured.

◾ But not everyone is as fortunate as they are. In recent months, social media in Cameroon has been flooded with dozens of posts about missing African men who had joined the Russian military. Some posts are then updated to say that the person was killed. One popular account has already counted 67 Cameroonians who had been killed.

The situation is so serious that in March, the authorities have tightened restrictions on soldiers leaving the country. This is due to the high salaries promised by Russia - over $2,000, while salary of Cameroonian private is an average of $90 per month.

https://telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2025/06/09/russia-sent-african-shampoo-makers-die-ukraine-front-line/
https://x.com/Gerashchenko_en/status/1932761421294526615