La Russie recrute de plus en plus de Botswanais par ruse pour combattre en Ukraine, selon le Botswana
An "alarming" number of Botswana nationals are being forced to fight in Russian uniforms in Moscow's war against Ukraine after being tricked by deceptive recruitment schemes, the Botswana government said Saturday.
In recent months, several African countries have reported that some of their nationals were tricked into fighting in the Russian army and that many of them have died on the battlefield.
"Recent reports indicate that the number of Botswanans tricked into this type of arrangement is increasing at an alarming rate," Botswana's Ministry of International Relations said in a statement.
Once there, "they are forced to participate in active combat," the same source explained. "The ministry continues to receive heartbreaking calls from Botswanans already on the front line, describing the perilous conditions they face."
The statement did not specify how many Botswanans were in Russia or Ukraine. In December, the government indicated that at least two young Botswanans may have been recruited.
In mid-February, the collective "All Eyes on Wagner" (named after the eponymous former Russian paramilitary group) published the names of more than 1,400 Africans that Moscow had recruited between January 2023 and September 2025 to fight in Ukraine, adding that more than 300 of them had died.
The largest contingents came from Egypt, Cameroon, and Ghana, according to the group. Several southern African countries also reported that their citizens had been recruited by Russia.
Russia launched a full-scale offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hoped for a swift surrender. The conflict, which has claimed tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of lives, is still ongoing, and diplomatic efforts have stalled.
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