Russia: We’re not hiring Nigerians to fight in Ukraine war

Russia has denied hiring Nigerians as soldiers to fight in its war against Ukraine.

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and began occupying more of the country, starting the current phase of the war regarded as the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II.

Last week, DAILY NIGERIAN reported how four Nigerians — Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, Abugu Stanley Onyeka and Balogun Ridwan Adisa — were killed on the frontlines.

The deceased were said to have been recruited on the false pretence of “security job” but ended up being conscripted and deployed to the war front after three weeks of training.

The Russian government has since denied issuing visas to Nigerians for the purpose of fighting for the country in Ukraine.

The newspaper quoted its sources as saying the Nigerian fighters died on the frontline on different dates between December 2025 and January 2026.

The report claimed that the Russian Embassy in Abuja granted the Nigerian mercenaries a single-entry tourist visa without biometric capture and fulfilling other application requirements, adding that the mercenaries were promised a tempting monthly salary of 200,000 ruble (about 3.6million naira) as well as allowances and other perks.

But when they landed in Russia, they were allegedly forced into the military and given little training before being deployed to the frontline. They were reportedly made to sign military service contracts in Russian without lawyers or translation provided.

Some alleged that their passports confiscated, effectively making it impossible to flee.

But Russia has denied any government-backed programme to recruit Nigerians to fight in the war in Ukraine, insisting that any such activity, if it exists, is not connected with the Russian state.

The Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podyolyshev, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja while responding to reports that Nigerians had been recruited to fight on the frontlines.

“There is no government-supported programme to recruit Nigerians to fight in Ukraine. If there are illegal organisations or individuals trying to recruit Nigerians by unlawful means, this is not connected with the Russian state.”

“If anybody has this information, we are ready to send it to Russian law enforcement authorities so they can investigate those cases,” he said.

Podyolyshev also reacted to reports by Western media that some Nigerians were deceived into joining the conflict.

“You are receiving information from Western sources. Their main task is to demonise Russia. If you want to know the real situation, you should send journalists to Russia to understand what is really happening,” the Ambassador said.

While acknowledging that some Nigerians may be in the conflict zone, he maintained there was no official Russian policy behind it.

“There are such Nigerians, I know, but there is no government-supported programme to recruit them. If there are agencies, including Russian agencies, violating Russian law, we are ready to transmit this information to our law enforcement authorities,” he said.

The ambassador also called for stronger economic engagement between both countries, noting that the last session of the Russia–Nigeria Intergovernmental Commission on Economic Cooperation was held about 10 years ago.

Podyolyshev also highlighted Nigeria’s influence within ECOWAS and the African Union, recalling its peacekeeping roles in Liberia, Sierra Leone and The Gambia.

“Nigeria showed readiness to take responsibility for regional stability. Within ECOWAS, Nigeria is the core of the organisation in terms of population, economy and military potential,” he said.

In the energy sector, he disclosed that both countries were working on long-term projects, including nuclear cooperation.

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