Botswana probes youth lured to fight in Ukraine on promises of quick pay

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

The Botswana government is investigating two young men allegedly recruited to fight in Ukraine, as more Africans are said to be lured by misleading promises of military training and quick pay.

Authorities in Gaborone say they have opened an investigation into the case of two men, aged 19 and 20, who are believed to have been deceived into joining the Russia–Ukraine war.

According to the Ministry of International Relations, the pair thought they were signing up for short-term military training in Russia. Officials are now working with diplomats and law enforcement to confirm what happened and to bring the two back home.

The ministry is warning young people to be wary of what it calls "dubious and dangerous international recruitment schemes" and to check with embassies or consulates before accepting any offers that sound too good to be true. The UN is also urging African governments to stay alert and issue clear warnings to prevent more cases like this.

Similar cases are being reported across the continent, highlighting the risks for young Africans.

In the wider region, a Nigerian man, Kehinde Oluwagbemileke, who had joined the Russian army, was captured by the anti-Kremlin "Freedom for Russia" Legion during fighting in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region in July. Ukrainian officials say he had studied in Moscow before being lured with promises of quick money and safe service, but was later sent, poorly prepared, into what they describe as a "suicide assault" on the front line.

Earlier, a Senegalese national, Malick Diop, was captured on the Toretsk front in the Donetsk region under similar conditions. These incidents point to a growing number of young Africans on both sides of the conflict, many drawn in by misinformation and false promises.

The "Freedom for Russia" Legion, made up of Russian fighters opposed to the Kremlin, regularly urges foreign soldiers to lay down their arms or switch sides, accusing Moscow of showing little regard for the lives of its own troops.