Russia Planning Mercenary Recruitment Expedition in Africa

Russia is preparing an expedition to Africa to search for and train mercenaries to participate in its war against Ukraine.

According to the National Resistance Center, Russia is currently conducting a recruitment campaign in the Kursk region, where it expects to recruit 50 to 100 soldiers and officers to fill the so-called "African Corps."

The corps is being created as a replacement for Wagner Private Military Company mercenaries who also operated in Africa and were sent to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

Activity to boost the contingent through training and retraining of mercenaries is being planned in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

"It should be noted that there are no easy earnings, and the price for one’s crimes is rising already in Ukraine. More than 350,000 liquidated Nazis of the Russian Armed Forces testify to this," the National Resistance Center pointed out.

In early September, Kyiv Post reported Cuba’s announcement that it had exposed a gang of human traffickers who were forcing its citizens to fight for Russia in Ukraine.

As a result of the investigation, 17 individuals were arrested, including the lead organizer, on charges related to establishing a human trafficking network.

In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree allowing foreigners who enlist in the Russian army to obtain citizenship under an expedited procedure.