Two men from Cameroon sit in Ukrainian custody, telling a story that’s becoming disturbingly familiar. They came to Russia for work and tourism and ended up on the front lines.

Metugena Una-na Jean Pafe thought he was getting a job at a shampoo factory. Anatol Frank needed dental work and planned an 18-day trip to Moscow in 2024. Both claim they traveled to Russia for civilian purposes but were forced into military service against their will, according to video by the 20th separate unmanned systems regiment K-2.

“I wanted to leave the airport, but they [Russians] called me,” Pafe told his Ukrainian captors. “They checked my passport and took me to an office.This was all under coercion.”

Frank’s experience followed a similar pattern. Moscow’s migration service took his fingerprints and jaw impressions, then told him what to do. When he refused, they blocked his departure.

Both men ended up signing military contracts worth 1.1 million rubles (over $14,000). Why sign? Ukrainian forces note this amount represents substantial money in Cameroon, even though it’s less than Russia offers its own citizens.

The military training moved them across Russia. Pafe spent two weeks in Moscow, one week in Rostov, then a month in occupied Luhansk. Frank also trained in Rostov before deployment.

How long did their combat service last? Not long.

Pafe’s bunker came under fire almost immediately. Six days after reaching the front, Ukrainian forces captured him. Frank got lost on his first mission, unable to understand orders in Russian. He wandered for three days in the rain, at one point hiding under a bush, before following voices that led to Ukrainian troops.

“While I was walking, there were drones above. It rained for three days,” Frank recounted.

During Frank’s nighttime evacuation, a Russian drone wounded two Ukrainian soldiers and Frank himself.

Both prisoners say they never killed anyone. They acknowledge Russia as the aggressor and want to return to Cameroon, where they have families. One prisoner has two sons waiting at home.

Are they alone? Far from it.

The regiment indicates this represents part of a broader pattern of foreign recruitment, with the prisoners claiming that Chinese, Zimbabwean, and Bangladeshi nationals are also present on the Siversk front, Donetsk Oblast.

Ukrainian forces previously also captured a Yemeni fighter. In early April, they captured Chinese nationals fighting for Russia—the first known case of Chinese military personnel in the war. President Zelenskyy says Ukrainian intelligence counts at least 155 Chinese citizens in Russian ranks.

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Russia also deploys North Korean soldiers, particularly in Kursk Oblast, adding another layer to its international recruitment.

How widespread is this recruitment? An investigation by Important Stories found foreign mercenaries from at least 48 countries fighting for Russia. Moscow recruited over 1,500 foreigners between April 2023 and May 2024 in the capital alone. Most come from South and East Asia, with Nepal providing the largest contingent.

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Besides Nepal, fighters arrive from India and African nations including the Republic of Togo. Such recruitment cases became more frequent at the end of last year.

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Russia is also luring young African women with promises of vocational training and jobs in Europe, then trapping them in drone factories to build weapons for the war in Ukraine. Women from Uganda, Mali, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan arrive at Russia’s Alabuga facility expecting education or legitimate work, but instead face grueling assembly-line shifts building Shahed attack drones under constant surveillance.

They work long hours exposed to harmful chemicals, endure racism and punitive management, while their wages are withheld and communications monitored, with some reports suggesting sexual exploitation as well.

The Russian Ministry of Defense finances this operation through fraudulent recruitment via social media and embassies, effectively turning vulnerable women into forced laborers for Moscow’s war machine. 

Georgia broke a longstanding tradition Saturday by failing to send an honor guard to meet the coffin of Vano Nadiradze, a 55-year-old volunteer who died defending Ukraine. For the first time, Georgia did not greet a soldier who defended Ukraine with a guard of honor, according to Echo of the Caucasus newspaper.

The decision marks a stark departure from previous protocol as Georgia’s government aligns increasingly with Russian interests while over 80 Georgian volunteers have died fighting Putin’s forces in Ukraine.

Nadiradze’s body arrived in Tbilisi on Saturday after he died last weekend, reportedly from a heart attack. Nadiradze is said to have defended Ukraine in the ranks of the SBU unit since the beginning of the full-scale war and was a media figure who actively informed Georgian audiences about the war.

The volunteer was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison for “mercenary” by Russia, marking him as a target of Putin’s regime. His coffin was met only by family, friends, and concerned citizens who knew him, while the Defense Ministry has not commented on the unprecedented protocol breach.

Georgia’s Russian turn

The government’s decision comes as Georgia undergoes what critics call a complete capture by Russian influence. Since 2022, the rhetoric of the Georgian government towards the West made a hostile turn since the onset of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, with officials echoing Russian propaganda narratives.

Georgia’s ruling party, now dubbed “Russian Dream” by opposition figures, announced it would halt the country’s EU integration process until 2028, sparking some of the largest demonstrations on record. The decision mirrors Viktor Yanukovych’s 2013 rejection of EU association in Ukraine, which triggered the Euromaidan revolution.

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Mounting pressure on Ukrainian volunteers

Georgian volunteers fighting for Ukraine face increasing persecution at home. About 300 people from the combat unit he led were put on the wanted list in Georgia, according to Georgian Legion commander Mamuka Mamulashvili. Many of our guys who were returning to Georgia were advised by the Georgian special services to leave, he reported.

The crackdown extends beyond the Georgian Legion to other volunteers. Several Georgian volunteer fighters returning from Ukraine have been summoned for questioning by Georgia’s State Security Service (SUS) in connection with a purported coup plot, with charges including terrorism and coup plotting.

Heavy toll among Georgian defenders

Georgians likely rank first among foreign fighters killed fighting for Ukraine, with estimates suggesting around 60 Georgians have been killed fighting in Ukraine, possibly the highest death toll of any foreign nationality fighting for Ukraine. The total may exceed 80 according to Georgian media reports.

Despite government hostility, Georgian public support for Ukraine remains strong. According to the Caucasus Barometer survey, 69% of respondents consider Russia as Georgia’s main enemy, creating a stark divide between the population and the increasingly pro-Russian government.

Background

Georgia’s democratic crisis deepened after October’s fraudulent parliamentary elections, where the ruling Georgian Dream party claimed 54% of the vote amid widespread allegations of fraud. International observers noted serious irregularities, with statistical analysis suggests that the party derided as “Russian Dream” stole 15% of the votes.

The government’s abandonment of EU integration has triggered massive protests reminiscent of Ukraine’s Euromaidan. For many Georgians, this mirrors Ukraine’s experience when Viktor Yanukovych rejected the EU association agreement in 2013, leading to the Euromaidan revolution.