Man arrested in Zimbabwe over recruitment for Russian army

Zimbabwe’s counter-terrorism police said Monday they had arrested and charged a man with recruiting five people to join the Russian army.

Several investigations, including one by AFP, have exposed how Russia has lured men from African countries with promises of well-paid jobs, only to force them to fight on the Ukrainian front line.

The 36-year-old suspect was arrested while escorting one recruit to a bus terminus in Harare for a journey through South Africa to Russia, according to court documents.

Police said he was found carrying Russian e-visas and hotel booking confirmations for the recruits who “will be forced to fight in the armed conflict” between Russia and Ukraine.

A Russian national identified only as “Roman”, alleged to be his accomplice, remains at large, police said.

In mid-February, the All Eyes on Wagner collective published the names of more than 1,400 Africans it said Moscow had recruited between January 2023 and September 2025 to fight in Ukraine, adding that more than 300 had died.

Ukraine said that month it had identified more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries fighting in Russian ranks.

In March, Zimbabwe said 15 of its citizens had been killed on “foreign battlefields”, without specifying where or for which side.

AFP

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