Nigerian killed while ‘fighting in Russia-Ukraine war

Friday, May 29, 2026 - Ukrainian authorities have reported the de@th of another Nigerian allegedly fighting on the side of Russia in the ongoing war with Ukraine.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence identified the deceased as Ayebusiwa Olabode Victor, who was born on April 28, 1992, and hailed from Ilutitun in Ondo State

According to the statement, Victor was k!lled in the Kharkiv region near the settlement of Hrafske while allegedly serving as a mercenary for Russian forces.

Ukrainian authorities also released what they described as the front page of the Nigerian’s passport as part of the disclosure.

The agency claimed Victor signed a mercenary contract in late February 2026, barely one week after Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned citizens against illegal recruitment into foreign armed conflicts.

Ukraine further alleged that before Victor’s de@th, the bodies of two Nigerians fighting on the Russian side were previously discovered in the Luhansk region.

Russia has repeatedly denied allegations of covertly recruiting Nigerians and other Africans for the war, calling them unfounded.

“However, official Moscow propaganda tells a different story. Mikhail Zvinchuk, a pro-war z-propagandist closely associated with the russian ministry of Defense, publicly described the recruitment scheme for the war against Ukraine on the channel of one of the Kremlin’s main propagandists, Vladimir Solovyov,” the Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence statement reads.

“He confirmed that residents of African countries are lured to Russia through fake job advertisements distributed via Facebook and WhatsApp.

“Victims are issued visas, provided one-way tickets, and promised employment. Upon arrival in Moscow, they are met by an intermediary who confiscates their passports under the pretext of processing documents and places them in hostels.

“Within days, they discover that no job exists, their visas have been canceled, and they have no money to return home.

“They are then given a choice: deportation with debt, imprisonment, or signing a contract with the occupation army — the contents of which they often do not even understand due to the language barrier.”

According to Ukrainian authorities, at least 215 Nigerians have signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence, with no fewer than 25 of them killed or considered missing in action.