Russia expanding recruitment of African mercenaries amid heavy losses in Ukraine war – Bloomberg

In this article, a foreign mercenary means a non-Russian national recruited to take part in Russia’s combat operations against Ukraine. The defining difference is the recruit’s nationality and connection to the army: foreign recruits come from countries such as Burundi or Zimbabwe, while regular citizens serve their own country’s armed forces. Payment and other incentives are also central to this recruitment effort.

A Zimbabwean or Burundian recruit is not joining their home country’s army. Instead, Russia may offer a signing payment, a high salary, and a chance to obtain Russian citizenship. Some people are reportedly promised civilian jobs, including catering or transportation, before being drawn into military service.

The article does not detail the recruits’ legal status or individual contracts. It does show that Russia is systematically recruiting foreigners to offset battlefield losses and a shortage of people available for mobilization. Russia has not publicly acknowledged recruiting foreigners for combat in Ukraine.

Russia recruited 699 men from Burundi between January 1 and September 30, compared with 30 during all of 2025. It also recruited 530 Zimbabwean nationals, up from 65 previously. These are the largest specific figures given in the presentation described by Bloomberg and cited by Ukrinform.

The reported increases are substantial. Burundi’s figure is more than twenty times the earlier total, while Zimbabwe’s is more than eight times the previous number. The comparison periods are not identical, so the figures show a sharp expansion but do not provide a precise annual rate.

Recruitment also increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon. The presentation links the broader effort to Russia’s need to offset massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilize. Kenya and South Africa had introduced measures to stop men leaving to join the war.

Russia is expanding foreign recruitment because the war has created massive losses and a shortage of people available to mobilize. Recruiting abroad gives Moscow another way to add personnel without relying only on its own population. The effort matters because it shows how the length and cost of the war are shaping Russia’s manpower policy.

The recruitment focus has shifted toward countries with low levels of democracy, limited press freedom and weak judicial systems. Russia also looked beyond Kenya and South Africa after those countries introduced measures to prevent men from leaving to join the war. Burundi, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and several other African countries then became more prominent sources.

Russia has not publicly acknowledged recruiting foreigners for combat. The Kremlin says Russia has enough manpower, and Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions of another mobilization wave. Still, the reported recruitment figures and the intelligence presentation indicate that Moscow is seeking additional fighters to sustain its campaign.

Russia’s recruitment program uses financial rewards and attractive promises to draw people into the war. Recruits may be offered substantial one-time payments when signing contracts, high salaries and the opportunity to obtain Russian citizenship. For people facing severe economic hardship, those benefits can appear unusually valuable.

The reported deception is especially direct. Some recruits are allegedly lured to Russia with false promises of civilian employment, such as work in catering or transportation. Instead of the job they expected, they can be drawn into military service and Russia’s war against Ukraine. The article presents these promises as a concern raised by African countries.

The approach is being carried out systematically, according to Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation. Recruitment has expanded in Burundi, Zimbabwe and other countries after Kenya and South Africa took steps to stop departures. Russia has not publicly admitted recruiting foreigners for combat, despite the reported campaign.

For recruited people, the clearest danger is being drawn into combat after expecting civilian employment. The article says some are falsely promised jobs in catering or transportation, then offered contracts connected to Russia’s war. They may receive money, salaries or a citizenship opportunity, but the arrangement places them in a foreign conflict.

The recruitment can also affect home countries. Governments may have to respond when citizens leave to fight for another state. Kenya and South Africa introduced measures to prevent men from departing for Russia’s war. Other African countries are increasingly concerned about Russia’s efforts, especially as recruitment spreads across the continent.

The article does not give figures for deaths, injuries or legal cases among recruits, so those consequences cannot be quantified here. It does show a broader implication: Russia’s manpower needs are creating cross-border pressure and making foreign citizens part of the war’s recruitment system.

The article connects recruitment risks to relative poverty in Africa. When people have few economic opportunities, a large signing payment, high salary or promise of citizenship may seem especially attractive. That can make a foreign power’s offer more persuasive, even when the work described at first is not military service.

Low levels of democracy, limited press freedom and weak judicial systems can also make recruitment easier for a foreign power. Such conditions may reduce scrutiny of recruiters, limit access to independent information and make it harder for victims to challenge deceptive promises. These are general institutional mechanisms; the article identifies the conditions but does not describe each country’s specific safeguards.

Russia has therefore shifted attention toward countries with these characteristics. Recruitment has risen in Burundi, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and others. The reported response from Kenya and South Africa shows that stronger government controls can restrict departures, while growing concern elsewhere may lead to further scrutiny.

Military mobilization is the process of calling people into military service and organizing them for a war effort. A government may mobilize new personnel when its existing forces are insufficient. In this case, the recruitment effort is tied to Russia’s stated need to offset massive losses and a shortage of people to mobilize.

A long war keeps consuming personnel over time. People leave units through death, injury, exhaustion, reassignment or the end of contracts, while military operations still require trained fighters. Foreign recruitment offers Russia another source of manpower. The reported increases from Burundi and Zimbabwe show how this search has expanded beyond Russia’s borders.

The Kremlin claims Russia has enough manpower, and Vladimir Putin dismissed suggestions of another mobilization wave. Yet the recruitment described by Ukrainian intelligence indicates continuing pressure. If the war continues, replacing losses will remain important, whether Russia uses domestic mobilization, foreign recruits or both.