A New Investigation Names Eight Cameroonians Killed Fighting for Russia

An investigation published on Youtube on August 25, 2026 by journalist Ngala Hansel names and pictures eight Cameroonian men killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, tracing how each of them ended up there. Cameroonians make up the largest single African nationality fighting for Russia, according to the report. 

Onana Moise's Case

One of the eight is Onana Moise, a 39-year-old from Douala who was already lining up a job offer in South Africa when a travel agent his family identifies only as Harrison convinced him Russia was the better option. We previously reported on his case, drawing on Al Jazeera's reporting: his mother, Regine, opposed the trip from the start, spoke to him for the last time in December 2024, and only learned of his death from a message another Cameroonian serviceman sent her on Telegram. She is in her 60s, has an ongoing medical condition, and had relied on her son financially. 

Why This Keeps Happening

Kosho Luis, a Cameroonian national who lost a close friend in Russia's army, argues young Cameroonians are better off enduring hardship at home than risking the unknown abroad: "In our country, we know it is difficult, but young Cameroonians must understand that it is better to be in that condition than to adventure into a deadly travel that you don't even know what is going to come out of. In Russia it is often said there is a contract you're going to sign. We are going to fight a battle against the unknown - you are fighting against drones and missiles. This is not your country."

Franklin Sone Bayen places it in a longer history of Cameroonians fighting wars that aren't theirs. He says the pull today is structural: skilled, degree-holding young Cameroonians can't find work, face police and tax harassment if they try to build something themselves, and see leaving - even into danger - as better than staying where "there is no hope." By his count, close to 350 Cameroonians out of fewer than 1,500 Africans total have been conscripted, volunteered, or otherwise joined Russia's side in the war - more than a third of every African fighting for Russia.

A Repeating Pattern

The investigation says it traced a common thread through the five men, including Onana, whose funerals have since been held in their home villages in Cameroon: each had to borrow money, in the millions of CFA francs, to make the trip, leaving their families in debt with no compensation and no answers. One of the eight, Dongmo Brice, is said to have left Cameroon on a student visa and ended up on the front line in Ukraine rather than in a classroom.

On the overall toll, the investigation cites a count of 95 Cameroonian deaths documented by a team of international journalists as of February 2026, crediting the underlying investigation to INPACT, and says the true figure is believed to have risen since. Separately, the I Want to Live project documented birth, contract, and death dates for 103 named Cameroonians killed fighting for Russia.

The Eight Men Named

The names and years below are as captioned in the video. Six of the eight match an entry already the list of 485 Africans killed in Russia's army; two do not currently appear there.

The photos of the 8 Cameroonians killed in Russia's army were published in the investigation: 

A Safe Way Out

Cameroonians and other foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield and save their lives with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project. Find out more about how servicemen in Russia's army can save their lives here.