The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Nigeria, Gautier Mignot, has alleged that Russia is recruiting Nigerians and other Africans to fight in its ongoing war against Ukraine — a claim the Russian government has denied.
Mignot made the allegation while speaking on The Morning Brief, a programme on Channels Television, on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, marking the fourth anniversary of the conflict.
What he is saying
According to Mignot, civil society reports suggest that the recruitment of Africans is becoming a growing trend. He claimed that women are allegedly recruited to work in military production facilities in Russia, while men are sent to the battlefield.
- “There is another important phenomenon which is impacting Africa, which is the recruitment of African men and women by Russia. Women to be sent to work in military plants in Russia, and men to be sent as cannon fodder on the front. Of course, they are being lured with job promises.”
He further alleged that Russia is expanding recruitment efforts in Africa due to manpower shortages in the war.
- “Russia is running out of soldiers, so they have been growingly doing that, including with Nigerians, and it’s extremely crude sending these people who have absolutely nothing to do with this war to die on the front.”
Mignot stated that some of those recruited have reportedly been captured by Ukrainian forces and said African governments have begun responding to the issue. He referenced a communiqué issued by the Nigerian government addressing the broader phenomenon of recruitment into foreign conflicts.
More insight
The EU envoy also rejected claims that Russia is steadily winning the war, describing the situation as a stalemate.
- “There are other false perceptions about this war, the impression that Russia is winning the war little by little — no, it is not. There is a stalemate at the front.”
He argued that a lasting resolution would require international pressure on Russia to engage in dialogue.
However, the Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podyolyshev, has denied the existence of any government-backed programme to recruit Nigerians for the war. He maintained that if Nigerians are present in the conflict zone, such involvement is not linked to official Russian policy.
What you should know
The war began after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk on February 21, 2022. Three days later, Russia launched what it described as a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region, triggering full-scale conflict.
The war has since evolved into a prolonged confrontation with significant geopolitical, economic, and humanitarian consequences globally, including across Africa.
