"Don't Trust Russian Recruiters." A Zimbabwean Woman Is Pleading With Her President to Bring Her 51-Year-Old Husband Back From the Front.

Reason Dzeya, born August 16, 1981 in Zimbabwe, has recorded a video appeal directed at Zimbabwe's president. Her husband, Vheda Joseph, 51, went to Russia for work. He is now at war in Ukraine.

"My husband was tricked into signing a document with the Russian army," she says in the video. "He was promised legal employment and a good salary and safe working conditions. Instead he was sent to war in Ukraine, where he is forced to fight against people who have done nothing to him."

The full video of Reason Dzeya appeal available on X: 

What Happened

According to the I Want to Live project, Vheda was approached by a recruiter who promised civilian employment and a legal work arrangement - the standard pitch used to lure men from economically vulnerable environments into Russia's military pipeline. He was handed a contract written in Russian. No translation was provided. He was told it was a regular labor agreement.

He signed it on June 8, 2026. The document was a Russian Ministry of Defence military contract.

After signing, he was sent to Ukraine. His family last heard from him on July 17, 2026.

The Appeal

In her video, Reason Dzeya addresses Zimbabwe's government directly: "I am appealing to the government of Zimbabwe to help him and help me return him alive."

She also turns to camera with a warning for others: "I want to warn all young people in Zimbabwe and other African nations - don't trust these people. Don't trust Russian recruiters."

Her husband was alive. She does not know for how much longer he will be.

The Wider Picture

The I Want to Live project currently holds personal data on nearly 3,000 African citizens recruited by Russia's armed forces. At least 485 have been killed. Dozens of Africans from 17 countries are currently held in Ukrainian captivity.

The pattern is consistent: the tougher the economic conditions are the country, the more actively Russian recruiters operate there. Contracts are presented in Russian without translation. Men are told they are signing employment agreements. They are sent to assault positions in Ukraine.

Vheda Joseph is 51 years old. He went to Russia for work.

People who were lured into Russia's army have a chance to safely escape the battlefield through the "I Want to Live" project. Read more details here.