Russia Turns to Coup-Hit Madagascar to Recruit New Soldiers for Its War Against Ukraine
5 Articles
5 Articles
Russia is expanding the recruitment of Africans to participate in the war against Ukraine by offering them high salaries, lump-sum payments and Russian citizenship.
Russia Turns to Coup-Hit Madagascar to Recruit New Soldiers for Its War Against Ukraine
Russia has expanded its military recruitment campaign to Madagascar for the first time since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, opening a new recruitment channel in an African country that has recently strengthened ties with Moscow.
Putin is intensifying the recruitment of African citizens to fill personnel shortages on the front in Ukraine. Russia is targeting Zimbabwe, Burundi, and Cameroon, among others. Bloomberg reported this, citing Ukrainian intelligence documents. So far, North Korea has been most involved in supporting the Russian Federation in its invasion of Ukraine. Approximately 14,000 soldiers from Pyongyang are fighting within the Russian occupation forces.
Bloomberg: Russia Steps Up Recruitment of Africans for Its Army Amid Troop
Bloomberg reports Russia recruited hundreds of men from Burundi and Zimbabwe in the first nine months of 2026, expanding recruitment in several African countries to offset losses in the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by Bloomberg, citing a presentation received from sources familiar with the work of Ukrainian intelligence. Countries where Russia has stepped up recruitment include Zimbabwe, Burundi and Sierra Leone. According to the presentation, from January 1 to September 30, 2026, the Russian side recruited 699 men from Burundi. For comparison, for the entire year 2025, there were only 30 such citizens. Also during this period, 530 Zimbabw…
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