Ukraine's DIU Identifies Botswana Citizen Killed Fighting for Russia

Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (DIU) has identified Pako Namogang, born on May 30, 2001, as a citizen of Botswana killed while fighting for Russia. DIU calls him the first identified citizen of Botswana to be killed in Russia's war against Ukraine. According to DIU, he was recruited through social media, flew to Moscow from Johannesburg on July 6, 2026, signed a one-year contract on July 21, and was killed in mid-August near Novoliubivka in Luhansk region.

See also: Bloomberg confirmed that at least 15 Botswanans were killed in Russia's army

Recruited Through a WhatsApp Chat

DIU says Namogang's decision to join the Russian army was a conscious one. A Russian recruiter in a WhatsApp chat called "Work in Russia" stated directly that he was looking for people to serve in the Russian army. DIU adds that Namogang also passed his friends' personal data, including passport details, to the Russian recruiters. Their current status is unknown.

From Johannesburg to Moscow

Namogang left for Moscow on July 6, 2026 from Johannesburg airport in South Africa. In his correspondence with the Russian recruiter, DIU says, he was assured that a person in South Africa would help him with registration and boarding the plane, probably an official of the Russian trade mission. DIU believes the Russians are deliberately violating South Africa's Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998 by facilitating the transfer and paperwork of mercenaries on South African territory, which it says carries criminal liability.

On July 7, after arriving in Moscow, he was put up in a hotel. On July 21 he signed a contract for one year. DIU names Senior Lieutenant A. V. Levykin as the officer responsible.

The Brokers and the Youth Camp

DIU says so-called "brokers" were involved in recruiting Namogang and other foreigners, naming Yelizaveta Savinovskikh (rus. Елизавета Сергеевна Савиновских), born May 23, 2002, and Mikhail Sergeyevich Petrushenko (rus. Михаил Сергеевич Петрушенко), born August 8, 1992. DIU describes brokers as middlemen who organise the recruitment of foreigners and deliver them to the Russian army.

After signing, DIU says, Namogang and other recruits were housed at the territory of "Avangard", a Russian centre for military-patriotic education of young people in the Patriot park near Moscow. DIU says Avangard's instructors took part in training the foreign recruits, and accuses the Kremlin of using youth-education infrastructure as a military base, which it says endangers civilians, including children at the site.

The Documents DIU Published

DIU released two document images. The first is a page of a Botswana national passport in the name Namogang Pako, born May 30, 2001 in Francistown, issued on May 26, 2026 and valid until May 25, 2036. The second is a Russian certificate dated July 21, 2026, issued to a citizen of Botswana, Pako Namogang, born May 30, 2001. It states that he is serving under contract in the Russian armed forces, records his passport issued on May 26, 2026, and says the contract was concluded on July 21, 2026 for one year. It is signed by Senior Lieutenant A. Levykin, acting head of the contract military service selection point in Moscow.

Killed Near Novoliubivka

According to DIU, Namogang was then sent to a Russian army training centre, where he spent a week and a half, before being taken to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. He was killed in roughly mid-August 2026 during fighting near the village of Novoliubivka in Luhansk region.

DIU says its "I Want to Live" project knows of at least 25 Botswana citizens who have signed contracts with Russian forces. One is a prisoner of war, and at least one, Namogang, has been killed.

A Safe Way Out

Batswana and other foreign nationals recruited into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ for recommendations for victims of Russian military recruitment and their families.