From the factory to the warfront: How Russia tricked African farmers into enlisting in its ranks

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is at a transcendental point, where an end is being sought after more than three years of hundreds of thousands of deaths (both civilians and soldiers), incalculable structural damage and high diplomatic tensions. In the meantime, different stories are coming to light that only accentuate the gravity of the situation. One of them directly involves the Kremlin, which is taking advantage of people's desperation to deceive them and force them to fight on the warfront.

According to a report from British newspaper The Telegraph, Vladimir Putin's government has been using deceptive tactics to lure African farmers with serious economic problems to its ranks to fight against the Ukrainian military.

Initially, Russia offered them “well-paid” jobs to send money to their families and alleviate their complicated personal financial situations. However, upon setting foot on Russian soil, they were forced to enlist in the Russian military and were subsequently sent to the front lines.

The Telegraph refers to a particular case, that of Jean Onana. This young Cameroonian, age 36, accepted a proposal to work in a Russian shampoo factory. However, when he landed in Moscow, he was intercepted, along with a dozen other people from Zimbabwe and Ghana among other countries, and directly transferred to military facilities for enlistment.

There are others who were transferred to factories; but not shampoo or other products, but weapons factories, with the task of preparing the Russian arsenal.

In the case of Onana, as soon as he was intercepted by the Russian authorities, he was sent to a military training center to receive training, specifically in the city of Rostov. There he coincided with his fellow countrymen and with other people from other African countries and even from other continents, such as South America (Brazil) and Asia (Bangladesh).

Another is that of Malik Diop. This 25-year-old Senegalese man was hired to wash dishes in the Russian military. However, within a week of joining, he was already carrying a rifle and grenades and was sent to the front. "We started to see dead people in the forest. Lots of dead people in different buildings. It really affected me," he said in an interview in Ukraine after managing to escape the war.