Kenya says more than 200 of its nationals are fighting for Russia in Ukraine, with recruitment networks still operating in both Africa and Russia, according to a statement issued on 12 November by Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as reported by Reuters.

The announcement followed a statement from Ukraine last week claiming that over 1,400 citizens from three dozen African countries are currently fighting on Russia’s side. Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andriy Sybiha, described the contracts offered to African recruits as “equivalent to ... a death sentence,” and called on African governments to warn their citizens.

Nairobi confirms citizens misled into joining war

The Kenyan Foreign Ministry said its citizens are being recruited into Moscow’s war effort through networks active both in Russia and in Kenya, Reuters reported. According to the statement, “over two hundred Kenyans may have joined the Russian military,” with officials warning that recruitment activities are still ongoing.

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The Ministry added that its embassy in Moscow had recorded injuries among some of the Kenyan recruits. Those injured had allegedly been promised up to $18,000, covering visa costs, travel, and accommodation. But instead of receiving non-combat roles, they were deployed to the battlefield.

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21 rescued in Kenyan raid tied to recruitment ring

Kenyan security services conducted a raid near Nairobi in September that resulted in the rescue of 21 citizens who, according to the foreign ministry, were being prepared for deployment to Ukraine. The ministry said the individuals had been deceived about the nature of their roles.

Russia’s next-gen strategic bomber program may struggle to get off the ground if the West can prevent Moscow from evading sanctions, according to an investigation by InformNapalm, a Ukrainian intelligence community.

InformNapalm on 4 November reported that it acquired a trove of internal documents from Russia's aerospace component manufacturer OKBM, which the EU sanctioned in October. Purported copies of some documents were published with the investigation. 

The papers show that development of the Poslannik strategic bomber and parts for the Sukhoi-57 fighter are running into delays. This is partly due to Moscow’s shortage of precise machining tools made by foreign companies that have left the Russian market. The documents linked by InformNapalm directly name this as a reason. 

“At this stage, the Russian Federation is not able to produce parts for its promising aviation complexes on its own… they need to purchase foreign automated production equipment, high-precision CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines,” InformNapalm wrote.  

“This is why sanctions work and they are important, because they significantly hamper Russian military capabilities. But it is no less important to track schemes and ways to circumvent sanctions through third countries and impose secondary sanctions.”

According to the investigation, OKBM used Taiwan-made Hartford HCMC-1100AG and Johnford SL-50 machines, as well as a Serbian Grindex BSD-700U CNC grinder, bought through subsidies from Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

InformNapalm pointed to these acquisitions as examples of the Russian state’s attempts to evade sanctions. 

The founder of InformNapalm, who goes by Roman Burko, told Euromaidan Press that the intelligence gathering operation directly contributed to OKBM being included in the latest sanctions package. The organization went public with the data to cause additional damage to the Russian manufacturers.

"Russian contracts explicitly state that information leaks lead to investigations, bureaucracy, and contract terminations," Burko said.

Russia’s aircraft modernization program

The Tupolev PAK DA, also known as the Poslannik (Russian for "Envoy"), is a subsonic stealth bomber meant to replace the venerable Tu-95, which dates back to the 1950s.

Russian media and other online sources report that the PAK DA is meant to have a range of 12,000 kilometers, an operational ceiling of 20 kilometers, and carry a conventional or nuclear payload of up to 30 tons. Moscow reportedly began financing development in the late 2000s and since then, the program has run into multiple delays. 

Russian media previously reported that the bomber was supposed to be ready for serial production in 2027. According to InformNapalm’s investigation, OKBM is supposed to deliver components for actuating the Poslannik's weapon bays by August 31, 2027. 

The documents released by InformNapalm state that the program is marked secret and OKBM may lose its contract if it fails to maintain that secrecy. 

The investigation also found that OKBM is involved in making gearboxes for the weapon bays of the Sukhoi-57, a Russian multi-role stealth fighter with the NATO reporting name Felon. 

The Su-57 has fought in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As of 2023, Russia had only 22 Su-57s in service, although it intends to increase production. Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation plans to deliver 76 fighters by 2027. 

On top of modernizing its air force, Russia has entertained plans to export the Su-57 as a competitor to the American F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. 

India initially participated in the development of the Su-57 but pulled out of the program in 2018, citing lack of satisfaction with performance and other concerns. In October, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov made an offer to India to launch “local production” of Su-57s. 

Russia evades sanctions to keep up manufacturing

At least 70% of all Russian CNC machine tools are imported, largely from the US, EU, and Japan. Over 80% of all CNCs end up in Russia's military production facilities. 

While Russian military manufacturing has suffered as access to this equipment dried up following the full-scale invasion, Moscow has been able to get its hands on foreign equipment either through intermediaries or foreign companies violating sanctions. 

Ukraine's Economic Security Council reported that Russia has procured $18 billion worth of machine tools from both Europe and China. This includes 57 CNC machines worth over $26.5 million from European subsidiaries, along with components and consumables valued at more than $9.5 million.

In October, Germany raided Spinner, a high-precision machine tool manufacturer suspected of knowingly supplying equipment to Russia's military industry. Three individuals have already been charged with violating sanctions.

More leaks on the way

According to InformNapalm, the documents it released on 4 November are only a fraction of the total it has managed to acquire and go over, in partnership with the cyber analytics center Fenix. Ukrainian intelligence was also reportedly involved in the operation.

InformNapalm wrote that it plans to continue publishing leaks about OKBM into the future, with the hopes that publicity will help strengthen the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's military industry.

The Russian State Duma has approved new legislation enabling the Defense Ministry to deploy military reservists to protect “critical and life-support facilities” across the country, in response to escalating Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian oil, energy, and transport infrastructure.

The Kremlin portrays the initiative as a defensive step to secure infrastructure “deep inside Russian territory,” as Ukraine’s cross-border drone operations have increasingly penetrated hundreds of kilometers into Russia in recent months, striking infrastructure that sustains Moscow's war effort.

Under the measure, adopted on 28 October, reservists - civilians with prior military service who voluntarily signed contracts to remain in Russia’s military reserve - can now be summoned to special training assemblies and tasked with guarding key sites. 

The order to activate them will require a decree from Russian President Vladimir Putin, with procedures defined by the government, according to the Duma’s official statement.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said the law was prompted by the growing threat of Ukrainian drone attacks targeting infrastructure and residential areas. The ministry described the reservists as “prepared and patriotic citizens” who will be deployed only within their home regions to protect energy, transport, and industrial facilities, including oil refineries. 

Officials emphasized that the measure “does not constitute mobilization” and does not involve sending reservists to the war zone in Ukraine.

Russia has announced a successful test of its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a weapon President Vladimir Putin described as “unique” and capable of evading any air defense. But Western analysts say the missile offers no real strategic advantage, calling it dangerous, impractical, and largely pointless.

The test, carried out last week in the Arctic, marks the latest Russian effort to showcase its military and nuclear capabilities amid growing battlefield losses and new Western sanctions. Yet, defense experts say the missile adds little to Russia’s existing arsenal and is more about political theater than military innovation.

“The main reason no one else has tried to build something like this is that it doesn’t really have any use,” Pavel Podvig, a senior researcher at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research, told NBC News. He noted that the missile’s nuclear propulsion system introduces serious safety risks without improving Russia’s nuclear deterrent.

Burevestnik’s range touted, but experts see little practical value

The Burevestnik, code-named Skyfall by NATO, is designed to fly for days at low altitudes, theoretically allowing it to bypass missile defense systems and reach targets anywhere on the planet. But experts argue that modern ballistic and submarine-launched missiles already provide similar reach, without the danger of an airborne reactor or radioactive fallout from a failed launch.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov defended the test, saying it reflected Moscow’s determination to “ensure its own security [...] especially against the backdrop of the militaristic sentiment that we are currently hearing, primarily from the Europeans.”

Putin announced the test alongside Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, claiming the missile flew for 15 hours and covered nearly 9,000 miles - a record range. 

US President Donald Trump called the test “inappropriate,” urging Putin to focus on ending the war in Ukraine instead of “testing missiles.”

Burevestnik: risky relic, not a real threat

The Burevestnik is one of several experimental nuclear weapons Putin unveiled in 2018 to demonstrate Russia’s ability to outpace Western missile defenses. Both the US and Soviet Union abandoned similar projects during the Cold War because of extreme safety hazards and limited strategic value.

A 2019 explosion in northern Russia, which killed five scientists and caused a brief radiation spike, was widely believed to involve a failed Burevestnik test. The incident highlighted the dangers of mounting nuclear reactors on missiles, a concept largely dismissed by modern militaries.

Analysts say the latest test was likely timed to reinforce Moscow’s narrative of technological strength and resilience as sanctions and military setbacks continue to erode its conventional power. 

Despite Putin’s boasts, experts agree the Burevestnik is less a weapon of the future than a costly symbol of Russia’s political defiance.

On the night of 22 October 2025, Ukrainian drones struck a defense plant in Saransk, Mordovia, and an oil refinery in Makhachkala, Dagestan, targeting facilities crucial to Russia's war effort, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed.

This deep-strike operation signals a strategic shift, proving Ukraine's capacity to systematically degrade critical Russian military assets far behind the front lines. This matters because it forces Moscow to stretch its air defenses thin and jeopardizes its logistical capacity to sustain the war.

What happened during the overnight strikes

Units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine conducted a series of strikes on strategic targets within the Russian Federation. In Saransk, the capital of Mordovia, explosions were reported at the Saransk Mechanical Plant. Simultaneously, in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, a strike hit the city's oil refinery, with local videos showing a significant fire at one of the processing units. The independent Russian news outlet Astra published footage showing the moment of impact and the subsequent blaze at the refinery.

Why these targets matter strategically

The selected targets are integral to the Russian military's operational capacity. The Saransk Mechanical Plant is a key producer of anti-personnel engineering munitions, mine-laying kits, and detonators for various ammunition types. The Makhachkala Oil Refinery "Dagnotech" is a primary supplier of fuel for the Caspian Fleet's naval base, refueling Russian warships and handling up to one million tons of oil products annually. Hitting these facilities directly degrades Russia's ability to produce ammunition and supply its naval forces.

The campaign to degrade Russian logistics

These attacks are part of a larger, ongoing Ukrainian campaign to cripple Russia's defense-industrial complex and energy infrastructure. Throughout 2024 and 2025, Ukrainian forces have systematically targeted oil refineries, depots, and manufacturing plants deep inside Russia to disrupt supply lines and reduce the resources available for the front lines.

Implications for Russia's war machine

The successful strikes force Russia to reconsider the security of its strategic rear, stretching its air defense resources over a vast territory. The disruption at the Saransk plant could create bottlenecks in ammunition supply, while the damage in Makhachkala directly impacts the operational readiness of the Caspian Fleet.

Key facts from the strikes

• Date: Night of 22 October 2025
• Location 1: Saransk, Republic of Mordovia (approx. 650 km from the Ukrainian border)
• Target 1: Saransk Mechanical Plant (produces military munitions and components)
• Location 2: Makhachkala, Republic of Dagestan (approx. 800 km from the Ukrainian border)
• Target 2: Makhachkala Oil Refinery "Dagnotech" (supplies fuel to the Russian Caspian Fleet)