NAIROBI, Kenya — The scars on Victor’s forearm are a permanent reminder of a war he says he never chose. Promised a civilian job in Russia, the 28-year-old Kenyan says he was instead coerced into signing a military contract and sent to fight in Ukraine.
Victor is one of four Kenyans — identified here as Victor, Mark, Erik and Moses — who described a recruitment scheme they say lured young men with offers of lucrative work abroad, only for many to end up in combat zones.
According to their accounts, a Nairobi-based agency advertised jobs in sales, private security and sports, with pay ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 a month — highly attractive in a country facing persistent unemployment. They said they were added to WhatsApp groups where fellow Kenyans reassured them in Swahili that legitimate opportunities awaited.
What followed, they say, was very different.
Victor said he arrived expecting civilian employment but was quickly taken to a military facility and handed a Russian-language contract he could not read. He alleges recruits were threatened with death if they refused to sign. Mark gave a similar account, saying those who wanted out were told to pay about $4,000 for a return route — an impossible sum for most.
Erik said he believed he was signing papers tied to a professional sports pathway after initial training with a basketball team, only to be moved into an army camp the next day.
The men also dispute payment claims. Mark and Moses said they received little money during roughly a year of service; Victor and Erik say they received none.
At the center of the case is a Kenyan recruiter now facing human trafficking charges after a police operation reportedly rescued 21 young men preparing to travel to Russia. The accused denies wrongdoing. A Russian national linked to the matter was later removed from Kenya, while the Russian embassy has publicly denied state employment ties to him.
In December, Kenyan authorities said about 200 citizens had been sent to fight in Ukraine and that 23 had been repatriated. The four returnees interviewed believe the true number is higher. One Nairobi clinic worker said large numbers of Russia-bound men were medically screened, including some former soldiers.
