African POWs have become pawns in Moscow and Kyiv’s battle for influence.
News
Defense
African POWs have become pawns in Moscow and Kyiv’s battle for influence.
Russian prisoners of war are pictured at a detention center in western Ukraine on Nov. 26, 2025. | Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images
July 12, 2026
African Fighters Captured in Ukraine Say They Want to Return to Russia, Not Go Home - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency
POWs on why Russians still volunteer to fight in Ukraine — Watch Video At The Kyiv Independent
Russian ombudswoman reports new Russia-Ukraine POW swaps in the pipeline
"Это просто бизнес": пленные африканцы хотят вернуться в Россию, а не домой, - Politico
Comment des Africains se retrouvent à combattre pour la Russie
New Russia-Ukraine prisoner swaps on deck, Kiev’s terror: ombudswoman’s key statements
African prisoners of war captured while fighting for Russia in Ukraine say they want to return to Russia rather than be sent back…
Vladimir Zhovnovsky also said that the Ukrainian government should be replaced
These men are likely to be exchanged and go home one day. But as far as they are concerned, they will never to have to take the…
Russia and Ukraine have swapped thousands of PoWs, but Mohammed* says he would rather fight alongside Kyiv than go home.
Evans Kibet, now being held in Ukraine after surrendering, says he did not know he was signing up.
Russia’s information operations in Africa expanded significantly since 2022, even if those efforts remain largely unnoticed…
