Russia has been accused of tricking African troops into joining its ranks before using them as 'meat for the meat grinder' in its war with Ukraine.
Ukraine's ambassador to South Africa, Olexander Scherba, claimed Moscow did 'not value' the lives of Africans who had willingly or knowingly been lured to the front lines to bolster its dwindling numbers.
In November, Kyiv said it had identified 1,426 fighters from 36 African countries serving in the Russian army, but warned the actual number could be higher.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha claimed they were being used as cannon fodder in the war which has seen an estimated one million Russians killed, wounded or missing since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
And chilling videos have also emerged on social media appearing to show Russian troops using racist language, joking about African deaths and even forcing one recruit to blow himself up to destroy a Ukrainian bunker.
Footage widely circulated on social media appears to show a black mercenary with a landmine strapped to his chest being forced to act as a 'human bomb' by a Russian soldier holding him at gunpoint.
The Russian uses a racist term and describes the recruit as a 'bottle opener', saying he is going to blow himself up to 'open' an enemy bunker.
'He's about to run – gonna be hopping through the woods,' the soldier says, before adding: 'What the f*** are you scared of? Don't s*** yourself.'
Footage widely circulated on social media appears to show a black mercenary with a landmine strapped to his chest being forced to act as a 'human bomb' by a Russian soldier amid claims Putin is using African troops as 'meat for the meat grinder' in the Ukraine war
An estimated one million Russians killed, wounded or missing since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha (right) claimed in November last year that 1,426 fighters from 36 African countries were serving in the Russian army
Another video also found online supposedly shows a group of black mercenaries in a snowy forest singing in their own language.
One of the Russian troops who appears to be filming them says: 'Look how many disposable ones there are here.' He adds they will be 'singing differently' once deployed to the front.
Reflecting on the footage, Mr Scherba told The Telegraph: 'There might be all kinds of charm offensives on the African continent, but once an African person comes to this war, they just become meat for the meat grinder.
He added that Russia 'looks at Africa through imperial eyes' and 'does not value Africans' regardless of whether they had joined its ranks willingly or not.
'Even those who are dedicated to Russia, even those who love Russia, in the end they still can wind up just as meat in the meat grinder,' Mr Scherba said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine, many reports have emerged of African nationals fighting alongside Moscow's forces, with some accusing Russian military of using deceptive tactics to recruit them.
Just two weeks ago, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South Africa president Jacob Zuma, resigned as an MP over allegations that she tricked 17 men into fighting for Russia against Ukraine.
The men aged between 20 and 39 were lured into joining mercenary forces 'under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts' and had issued distress calls after becoming trapped in the Donbas area of Ukraine.
One video of a black soldier shows him with what appears to be a landmine strapped to his chest, while being forced to act as a human bomb against Ukraine's defences
The Russian soldier can be seen holding a gun towards the mercenary before describing him as a 'bottle opener'
Russia has also been accused of tricking women from South Africa and other parts of Africa into working in Russian drone factories through social media campaigns promising them jobs in fields such as catering and hospitality.
Kenya also reported last year that some of its citizens had been detained in Russian military camps after being unwittingly caught up in the conflict.
Kenyan athlete Evans Kibet is one of a growing number of international recruits who – wittingly or not – signed up for the Russian army's 'meat grinder' and ended up a PoW in Lviv.
He arrived in St Petersburg at the end of July on a two-week visa to host an event on behalf of his country, famous for its long-distance runners.
The 35-year-old says he came to attend a cultural festival and to teach Russian athletes how to train. He claims a festival staffer persuaded him to stay, saying he could organise a one-year work visa.
The chance to provide a better life for his family, and in particular his teenage daughter, was too enticing, he says, so he signed a stack of documents presented to him by the man even though they were written in Russian and unintelligible.
The next morning, the man seized his passport before driving Kibet to a nearby military facility.
Then it finally dawned on him what was happening, he claims. 'I was so scared that I would never see my daughter again. I started to get angry and asked the guy why he signed me up.
Kenyan long distance runner Evans Kibet, who claimed he was lured to Russia to compete in an athletics meeting then forced to train and fight for the Russians in Ukraine
Nationals of African countries sit in a dedicated section where foreign fighters captured while serving for Russian forces on the Ukrainian front are held
'He told me, "You will manage and get out of this, it is only for one year". That was the last time I saw him.'
After five days, he was sent to the frontline. As soon as he saw the chance, he says, he deserted: 'I dropped everything and just ran for my life . . . There were so many dead soldiers. My mind kept on telling me I would be the next one.'
After more than a day trudging through the forest he began to lose all hope of making it out alive.
Then he heard gunfire and made the desperate decision to move towards it. 'I didn't even know if they were Russian or Ukrainian,' he admits. 'But I shouted to them for help. They were shocked because they didn't expect me to be there. They pointed their guns at me.'
Kibet raised his hands in the air, fell to his knees and begged them for help. 'I am a Kenyan, I'm not a fighter,' he told the soldiers. 'Please save my life.'
The soldiers, who were Ukrainian, took him in as a PoW and he was transferred to the prison camp in Lviv.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15457949/Russia-African-troops-meat-grinder-mercenary-suicide-bomber.html
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