Russia recruits “cannon fodder” in Uganda for Ukraine war

A snow-covered forest and in the middle of it all a group of soldiers singing a Ugandan song – and suddenly in the background a voice calling them “cannon fodder” in Russian: a video circulating on online networks has caused outrage in Uganda. It brought to light that it was next to Kenya and South Africa apparently too a veritable recruiting network in Uganda there, with that Men are sent to the front in Ukraine for the Russian army.

The African country has during President’s 40-year rule Yoweri Museveni close ties with Moscow built and bought a lot of military equipment. In UN votes on Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, Kampala demonstratively abstained from voting.

President’s son speaks of “Putinists”

But the backing for the Russian president Wladimir Putin Apparently it doesn’t just happen tacitly. President’s son wrote as early as March 2023 Muhoozi Kainerugaba in online networks: “Feel free to call me a ‘Putinist’, but we, Uganda, will send soldiers to defend Moscow if it is ever threatened by the imperialists!” At the time of these comments, Kainerugaba was a senior commander and is now the Army Commander-in-Chief.

Uganda is known for its well-trained and highly qualified soldiers; for example, they provide important contingents for the international force in Somalia. In the past they have been active in countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, and the veterans from their operations there are battle-tested.

A representative of the veterans’ association Special Returnees Association told the AFP news agency that some of its 20,000 members had recently been targeted by Russia. For example, a recruiter officially offered veterans work contracts in Israel – only to then send them to Russia.

He knows of “more than ten” veterans who went to Russia, three of whom died there, said the veterans representative, who wished to remain anonymous. “We told them they would die with a bullet in the head and their bodies would be buried in the ice or left to the vultures.”

A Russian citizen was arrested in connection with the nine men arrested in August, it said. But he was later released and the investigation stalled. Otherwise, no operations by the Ugandan authorities against suspected smuggling networks have been reported so far. Security circles said that some Ugandan recruits were now traveling to Russia via Kenya.

Also allegations from Kenya and South Africa

Just last week, Kenya accused Moscow of luring citizens to Russia and sending them to the front in Ukraine as “cannon fodder.” South Africa’s government announced in November that it had received “emergency calls” from the heavily contested eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass. The men, between the ages of 20 and 39, were “induced” to join mercenary troops “under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.”

In Uganda, meanwhile, the video from Richard Akantoran for Whirl, a cleaning man from the capital Kampala. According to his own statements, he fled his Russian unit and is now in the hands of Ukraine. In a video released by the Ukrainian army, he says he was promised a job in a supermarket or as a security guard in Russia. Once there, he was forced to sign a contract with the army. A soldier “held a gun to his head and said, “Sign these papers.”

In February 2024, the Ugandan government shared a message online from the Russian ambassador saying that Russia offers “unlimited opportunities for young people.” Akantoran now pleads: “To my fellow Africans… don’t fall into the trap.”