How job promises turn into war for Africans in Russia - report

Amnesty International says some Africans recruited into Russia’s Armed Forces were drawn in by promises of civilian work, higher pay, and in some cases help with immigration status. The report examines recruitment of foreign nationals into the Russian military and includes accounts from Somalia, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Egypt and a Central African country. Amnesty says some interviewees traveled to Russia after responding to what they believed were civilian job opportunities, while others were already in Russia and allegedly pressured to enlist after legal or immigration problems. One Somali man, Ahmed, interviewed in March 2025 in a prisoner of war camp, said he had no job or future and received almost no training near the front line. A South African, Joseph, said he was lured via WhatsApp under the promise of driving work in Poland but was reportedly told he would become a soldier instead. Amnesty also describes Egyptian detainees offered military service and a Central African man whose temporary protection extension was refused later.