Ukraine's Foreign Minister: "Most African Recruits Fighting for Russia Are Victims - Russia Is Giving Them a One-Way Ticket to Death"

BBC journalist Sammy Awami spoke with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha about the growing number of African nationals recruited into the Russian Armed Forces - and what Ukraine actually sees when it looks at the men captured on the front line.

The interview, part of BBC's June 8, 2026 documentary on African POWs in Ukraine, offers the clearest official Ukrainian statement yet on how Kyiv views foreign recruits fighting for Russia.

"A one-way ticket to death"

Asked about Russia's increasing recruitment of African nationals, Sybiha was direct: "That's a fact that Russians try to engage more citizens of African countries into their armed forces. And they try to recruit them by different schemes - and that's a violation of international law. Probably, they are providing them with a one-way ticket to death."

"Most of them are victims"

When the BBC interviewer asked whether Ukraine sees African fighters as purely enemies or as people caught in the war deceptively, the Foreign Minister's answer was unambiguous:

"My point of view and our assessment is that most of them are the victims. They are the victims of these illegal Russian activities, illegal Russian propaganda. Sometimes they were invited to study in Russia and then suddenly they appear on the battlefield."

The assessment aligns directly with what the "I Want to Live" project has documented across thousands of cases - and with the findings of  the FIDH, Truth Hounds, Fortify Rights, and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, all of which have confirmed that the dominant recruitment method is deception rather than willing enlistment.

Ukraine currently holds POWs from 48 countries. According to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters, Russia has shown no interest in requesting foreign nationals for exchange.

On the difference between Russia and Ukraine

Asked directly whether Ukraine has begun recruiting fighters from Africa, and how that differs from what Russia is doing, Sybiha acknowledged that foreign volunteers can join Ukraine's armed forces under Ukrainian legislation on a voluntary basis - and then drew a clear distinction:

"The Russians are intentionally and deliberately extending their illegal activities abroad - not only in Africa."

Ukraine recruits professionals with military experience who volunteer. Russia recruits from the world's most economically vulnerable populations through deception, coercion, fabricated criminal charges, and administrative pressure - and sends them into human wave assault operations with minimal training.

The Foreign Minister's words carry weight beyond diplomacy. For the African men currently held in Ukrainian captivity - from Kenya, Egypt, Congo, and a dozen other countries - the question of whether they are enemies or victims has direct consequences for their future. Ukraine's most senior diplomat has given his answer.

If you or your relative are being coerced into military service in Russia - do not hesitate and act before it's too late. Ukraine offers a safe way out.

Source: BBC