Ukraine Identifies a Sierra Leonean Recruit Killed in Donetsk

Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) identified Kamara Alhaji, a Sierra Leonean citizen born January 26, 1985, as an African recruit confirmed killed fighting for Russia's occupation forces. Alhaji was born in the city of Bo in central Sierra Leone but was registered in the capital, Freetown.

From Conakry to the Front in Donetsk

According to DIU, Alhaji flew out of Conakry, the capital of neighboring Guinea, on March 15, 2026, bound for Dubai. The next day, he made a connecting flight from Dubai to Moscow, where he signed a contract with Russia's occupation army. After brief training, he was sent to the war against Ukraine in early April and deployed to the Donetsk region. He was killed in early June 2026 near the village of Shakhove.

At Least 13 Sierra Leoneans

Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project, which tracks foreign recruits in Russia's army, says it is currently aware of at least 13 Sierra Leonean nationals recruited to fight for Russia, including two held as prisoners of war. Earlier this year the project published the list of 485 Africans killed in Russia's army - among the names there are 5 Sierra Leoneans.

A Safe Way Out

DIU says the real way for foreign recruits in Russia's army - and for Russian citizens themselves - to survive this war is to voluntarily surrender through the "I Want to Live" project. See our FAQ on how to safely surrender to Ukrainian forces.