Kenyan Captured in Ukraine: Promised Guard Job, Sent to Frontline
A 35-year-old Kenyan man, tricked by Russia into fighting in Ukraine, was captured and says he was promised a security job but forced to fight on the front line.
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Russia continues to deceive foreigners by promising high-paying private sector jobs but sending them to fight in Ukraine. One such case is 35-year-old Francis from Kenya, who is now a prisoner of war in Ukraine.
Francis is a trained electrical engineer but after his contract ended, he worked odd jobs that weren't enough to support his family. He is married and has a daughter.
In July 2025, he met a former classmate who offered him a security guard job in Russia. To process the documents, only a passport copy, a certificate of no criminal record, and a medical certificate were needed. Francis was convinced he was going to work as a guard even when signing the contract.
However, upon arriving at a military base, he was given a uniform and realized he was in the army. At the training ground, he saw citizens of Colombia, Iraq, Nigeria, Cameroon, and other countries.
For his service, Francis earned about 700,000 rubles (around 8,000 euros), which he planned to use to build a house. He explained that in his tribe, there is a tradition of paying a bride price – up to 99 goats, but the amount is negotiable.
Francis admitted he did not fully understand the scale of the war – he knew only of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine but did not realize it was a full-scale war.
He was sent to the front after two weeks of training. On November 22, 2025, while changing positions, his commander stepped on a mine, and the unit was ordered to retreat. During the move, they encountered two Ukrainian soldiers who fired warning shots. Seeing his commander drop his weapon and lie on the ground, Francis did the same and was captured.
Agency "Unian" also reported on 45-year-old Anton Milayev, great-grandson of Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev, who went to war as a sapper and was also captured. After 19 years in the US, he returned to Russia, where due to debt and propaganda, he signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, hoping for rear service, but was sent to an assault battalion that suffered heavy losses crossing the Dnipro River. Milayev surrendered to a Ukrainian drone and is now a prisoner, describing conditions as "excellent" and not wanting to return to Russia for fear of repression.
