The number of identified African foreign nationals killed while fighting for Russia against Ukraine continues to rise. Most recently, the bodies of two Nigerian citizens serving in the Russian army were found in the Luhansk region, according to Defense Intelligence of Ukraine. The agency said the deceased were identified as Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole, born on April 3, 1983, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, born on January 7, 1988, both citizens of Nigeria.
Ukrainian military intelligence reported that the two men served with the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division of the Russian Armed Forces. Kolawole reportedly signed his contract with the Russian army on August 29, 2025, while Udoka enlisted on September 28, 2025. According to the report, Udoka received little to no formal military training, as he was assigned to his unit and deployed to occupied areas of Ukraine just five days after signing his contract.
No documentation was available regarding Kolawole’s training, but Ukrainian intelligence said it was likely he also did not undergo proper preparation. Kolawole is survived by his wife and three children, who reside in Nigeria. Both men were killed in late November during an attempted assault on Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. Intelligence reports indicated they were eliminated by a drone strike rather than direct combat.
Russia has been accused for years of recruiting citizens from African countries to support its military operations abroad, and the invasion of Ukraine has followed a similar pattern. Early in the conflict, reports emerged that foreign nationals from Africa and the Middle East were being enlisted into the Russian armed forces, with recruitment efforts continuing since then. In December 2023, French newspaper Le Monde reported that African fighters were serving in the Russian military under a structure described as Russia’s African Corps.
There have also been documented cases of African nationals being captured on the battlefield. During the summer, fighters from the Freedom of Russia Legion reportedly captured a Nigerian national in the Zaporizhzhia direction who had been fighting for Russian forces. Earlier, Ukrainian forces detained a mercenary in the Donetsk region who was later identified as a citizen of Senegal. In a separate incident near Lyman, also in the Donetsk region, Ukrainian troops captured a Ugandan national. According to Ukrainian accounts, the Ugandan citizen claimed he was forced to sign a contract with the Russian army under threat of violence.
Source: https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/
