Kenyan President William Ruto held a phone call with Zelensky to address the illegal recruitment of Kenyans to fight on Russia’s side. In a post on X, Ruto called Moscow’s actions “a reckless venture” and emphasized that Kenya and Ukraine will work together to combat such schemes.
The Kenyan leader said he asked Zelensky to help secure the release of Kenyan citizens who have been taken captive. According to him, the Ukrainian president agreed to the request. Ruto noted that both countries plan to intensify public outreach to warn their citizens about the dangers of such “offers” from Russian recruiters.
Kyiv confirmed the presidents spoke on November 6. Ukraine’s presidential office said Russia is actively recruiting foreign nationals, promising them money and documents, but in reality turning them into cannon fodder at the front.
Ukrainian officials have previously said Russia is increasingly using citizens from poor African countries and the Middle East to replace rapidly mounting losses at the front. And according to some experts, the Kremlin is trying to hide the true scale of mobilization inside Russia by pointing to “foreign contractors.”
