‘The Death Zone’: How Russia Is Luring Africans to Ukraine
A growing number of men across the continent say they are being promised jobs in Russia, only to be forced into the war. Some go as mercenaries, but many more are drawn unwittingly.
By Matthew Mpoke Bigg, John Eligon and Zimasa Matiwane
James Kamau Ndungu told only a few friends that he was heading to Russia. He told them he had been promised a job as a day laborer there. He was 32, unemployed in Kenya and needed the work.
Last June, Mr. Kamau sent a photo to his friends from Istanbul Airport, saying he was in transit, one of the friends said. A few weeks later, he sent another photo. This time, he was wearing fatigues and holding a gun. In August, he wrote to say that he was in a trench in Ukraine. Things were bad. He asked for prayers.
It was the last anyone in Kenya heard from him.
https://amandlanews.com/the-death-zone-how-russia-is-luring-africans-to-ukraine/
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