The Russian army has reportedly accelerated its recruitment campaign in several African countries since the start of the year. According to a briefing obtained by Bloomberg from sources close to Ukrainian intelligence services, the number of men recruited in Burundi has been multiplied by 23 in the first nine months of the year, rising from 30 over the entire previous year to 699, and by 8 in Zimbabwe (from 65 to 530) .
- Since 2022, Russia has been recruiting foreign soldiers to fight on the front in Ukraine.
- However, this campaign has accelerated since the start of the year: 16,168 foreigners have signed a contract with the Russian army in the period January-September.
- That is already as many as in the year 2025 (16,085 people), and almost twice as high as in 2024 (8,877).
In recent months, Moscow has directed part of its efforts toward some of the continent’s most fragile countries, such as Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Madagascar or Burundi. The base salary highlighted on Russian recruitment sites for a foreign fighter stands at about $2,400 per month, that is 2.4 times Burundi’s annual GDP per capita in purchasing power parity, the lowest in the world according to the IMF.
Signing bonuses displayed can reach nearly $30,000, depending on nationality.
- Foreign recruitment processes are complex and require local networks, dedicated communication supports and involve logistics that can be costly.
- They are, however a priori less costly than in Russia, where regions pay signing bonuses whose amounts can reach several million rubles, and to which a federal bonus is added.
- If a Russian fighter is killed, the federal government promises more than 14 million rubles to the family, i.e., more than €150,000, in addition to regional aid.
These foreign recruits allow the army to partly compensate for its increasingly high losses. According to figures from the Ukrainian General Staff, Moscow would be losing more than 1,800 personnel per day (killed and wounded) over the past week, i.e., twice as much as in February.
- This recruitment campaign, sometimes deceptive, in which recruiters promise civilian jobs in hospitality or transportation, could undermine the ties between Moscow and certain African countries.
- The Botswana government has warned its citizens against these contracts, while recruiters have been charged in Kenya and South Africa notably.
- In February, Kenya’s National Assembly Majority Leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, citing an intelligence report, estimated that up to 1,000 Kenyan citizens had been recruited to fight alongside Russia.
- Currently, about 1,800 foreigners are being recruited each month by Moscow, in Africa but also in Central Asia, South Asia or Latin America .