Kenyan citizens fighting for Russia killed in combat – photos
A group of foreign mercenaries fighting for Russia has been killed in combat by Ukraine's defence forces in Kharkiv Oblast.
Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)
Details: Ukraine's Khochu Zhyty (I Want to Live) project identified one of the dead Kenyan citizens as Nyambura Eric Mwangi, 23.
He arrived in the Russian city of Yaroslavl on 23-24 October 2025, together with three other Kenyans – Wanjiru Joseph Kamau, Karithi Joel Ngure and Kibet Ronald Kikurui.
DIU said other Kenyan nationals who had been reported dead on 6 February – Ombwori Denis Bagaku and Wahome Simon Gititu – also arrived during the same period.
They signed contracts there and were then sent to a training centre, where the "recruits" underwent training for only one and a half weeks.
Mwangi was assigned the role of radio operator and sent to the front line.
However, he did not serve in that role and was transferred to an assault unit, DIU said. At the beginning of the year, he was involved in assault operations near the settlement of Borova in Kharkiv Oblast.
Early reports indicate that Mwangi was killed by a Ukrainian mortar strike while attempting to cross a "kill zone".
Quote from DIU: "Despite the Kremlin having reached agreements with certain African countries to stop recruiting their citizens, this process has not stopped and is ongoing – we have established the personal details of 2,965 citizens of African countries who signed contracts with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
The 10 countries supplying the largest numbers of mercenaries are Kenya, Egypt, Cameroon, Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, Algeria, Mali, South Sudan and South Africa.
As of August 2025, the deaths of at least 316 African mercenaries had already been confirmed. The real losses are likely to be much higher.
Defence Intelligence of Ukraine warns foreign citizens against travelling to Russia and taking any job on the territory of the aggressor state.
A trip to Russia is a real chance of ending up in a suicidal assault squad and, ultimately, rotting in Ukrainian soil."
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