A 29-year-old Nigerian man, Kehinde Oluwagbemileke, has been captured by the Freedom of Russia Legion while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.
According to Ukraine’s “I Want to Live” project, Oluwagbemileke was seized in the Zaporizhzhia region.
The group, which helps Russian soldiers and foreign fighters surrender safely, revealed that he had lived in Russia for four years before joining the war.
The report stated that Oluwagbemileke had been arrested on drug-related charges under Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code.
To avoid serving time in prison, he allegedly agreed to fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine as part of a deal for a reduced sentence.
“Kehinde is one of thousands of mercenaries from third countries recruited by Russia’s Defense Ministry to fight in Ukraine,” the group said. “He fought for five months before being captured.”
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The organisation added that many of these foreign recruits are lured into combat under false pretences.
“They are treated as expendable manpower,” the project noted, urging international governments to take steps to prevent the exploitation of their citizens by the Russian military.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs echoed the warning. “We urge all foreigners to avoid joining the ranks of the Russian occupation army by any means,” a spokesperson said, encouraging anyone considering it to instead reach out to the “I Want to Live” project.
Kehinde’s case mirrors others. Earlier this year, Ukrainian forces captured two Chinese nationals who also reported being misled and coerced into combat for Russia.
As the war drags on, stories like Kehinde’s reveal a troubling trend, where vulnerable foreign nationals are being drawn into a brutal conflict under promises that quickly fall apart.