HARARE — Zimbabwe's government reported that 15 of its citizens have been killed after fraudulent recruitment into the war between Russia and Ukraine, with diplomatic efforts underway to repatriate 66 others who remain alive. Information Minister Zhemu Soda said the victims were deceived through social media platforms by fraudulent employment agencies offering lucrative job opportunities.

Soda said recruited Zimbabwean citizens were stripped of their travel documents and coerced into active combat after being promised attractive salaries and safe working conditions. The minister said recruits received little to no training and were placed in life-threatening situations.

When recruited citizens were injured, killed, or captured, their recruiters vanished, leaving families without information, support, or recourse, he said. In many cases, promised remuneration was never paid, according to the minister.

The government is working to repatriate the bodies of Zimbabwean citizens killed in the war, he said. Soda noted that South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria have reported similar cases of their nationals being tricked into traveling to Russia with false promises of work and ending up on the front lines.

In February, South African police questioned 11 men who returned home after allegedly being recruited to Russia under the pretense of security training. South African authorities confirmed that two South African nationals were killed in the conflict, with several others injured or stranded.

A Kenyan intelligence report stated that as many as 1,000 Kenyans were recruited with promises of jobs before being sent to the front line in Ukraine. The report said dozens of those recruits were injured, missing, or still fighting, with at least one confirmed dead.

Ukrainian officials estimated that more than 1,700 Africans may have been recruited to fight for Russia in the conflict. Citizens of Nigeria and other countries have also been reported as recruited.

Investigations in 2024 found that recruitment networks targeted workers in Africa and Asia through social media advertisements and private agencies, offering work-study programs or civilian jobs that later turned into military contracts. The networks used deceptive tactics to lure workers with false employment opportunities before forcing them into combat roles.