Kenyan Captured in Ukraine Claims Russia Tricked Him

Ukraine’s 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade stated that its soldiers captured a Kenyan national during combat operations near Vovchansk, the brigade reported on September 17.

The prisoner identified himself as Evans, a track and field athlete from Kenya.

In captivity, Evans told Ukrainian soldiers that he and three other Kenyans had traveled to St. Petersburg after being recruited by a sports agent. At the end of their trip, the group’s handler offered them work in Russia.

Agreeing to stay, Evans said he unknowingly signed documents in Russian that turned out to be a military contract.

“I didn’t know what I was signing. Later, they told me I had already signed a contract and that I had no other options,” he said.

Evans explained that he was given just one week of training.

“They give me that, they call it ‘avtomat ’, this is the only thing they gave to me,” he recounted. According to him, several other foreigners were also in the unit.

On the way to his first combat mission, Evans said he escaped and wandered through forests near Vovchansk for two days before surrendering to Ukrainian forces.

“They received me warmly,” he recalled.

But Evans pleaded not to be traded back to Russia. “I will die there,” he told the soldiers.

The brigade emphasized that the interview was conducted with Evans’s consent, though it reminded audiences he was fighting on the enemy side.

“Whether to believe his words and tears, we leave to your judgment,” the unit stated.

Earlier, Ukrainian forces captured two Cameroonian citizens fighting for Russia near the Siversk front.

The detainees—identified as Metougouena Ouna-na Jean Pafe and Anatole Frank—claim they were misled and coerced into joining the Russian military.

According to Jean Pafe, he traveled to Russia under the impression he had secured work at a shampoo factory. “They forced me into the army,” he said in a video interview.

Anatole Frank gave an even more surreal account. He said he flew to Moscow in 2024 for a short, 18-day trip to receive dental treatment.