The Russian Embassy in Kenya has dismissed claims that it is recruiting Kenyan citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine. In a statement released on Thursday, February 19, 2026, the embassy accused parts of the local media of spreading a misleading narrative about Kenyans who traveled to Russia and ended up in combat.
“The Embassy of the Russian Federation has noted with great concern that a dangerous and misleading propaganda campaign has been unfolding in the Kenyan media and public space around cases of Kenyan citizens who travelled to the Russian Federation, joined the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and saw combat in the conflict in Ukraine,” the statement read.
Embassy Denies Recruitment Allegations
The embassy claimed that some reports have gone beyond commentary and now directly accuse its Nairobi-based mission and staff of involvement in illegal recruitment schemes.
“Even as the Russian and Kenyan governments have been in close contact on the related issues, the campaign has recently culminated in direct accusations against the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nairobi and its staff of involvement in rogue schemes of recruitment of Kenyans to become combatants in the conflict in Ukraine,” the statement added.
Responding to the recruitment claims, the embassy rejected any role in enlisting Kenyans into Russia’s military.
“The Embassy refutes such allegations in the strongest possible terms. The government authorities of Russia have never engaged in illegal recruitment of Kenyan citizens in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation,” the statement continued.
The mission also addressed reports suggesting it helped Kenyans travel to Russia to join the war. The embassy insisted it has never encouraged or coordinated with anyone to lure Kenyans into the conflict.
“At no point in time throughout the ongoing crisis in Ukraine did the Embassy ever issue visas to Kenyan citizens who sought to travel to Russia with the stated purpose of participating in the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine.
“Nor has the Embassy been encouraging any Kenyan citizen to do so, let alone colluding with any entities or individuals to coerce or lure Kenyans into participating in the SMO under false pretext,” the statement added.
Voluntary Enlistment Clarified
The embassy clarified that under Russian law, foreign nationals legally residing in the country may choose to enlist voluntarily in the armed forces.
“However, it must be understood that the legislation of the Russian Federation does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation if they stay in Russia on a legal basis and choose to take part in the battle against the NATO-backed Ukrainian Nazism shoulder to shoulder with Russian servicemen,” the statement concluded.
Kenyan Men Seek Help to Return
The clarification comes days after three Kenyan men reportedly conscripted into the Russian military asked the government for assistance to return home. The trio reached out to activist Boniface Mwangi, claiming their attempts to contact the Kenyan mission in Moscow had failed.
In a February 15 update, Mwangi said the men are trapped in Western Russia. “I have been in touch with some Kenyans who are in the Russian military. Our embassy in Moscow has refused to help them, and today they asked me to release their names,” he reported.
Mwangi identified the three as Nicholas Kaino Kiprotich, Samuel Maina Kariuki, and Kelvin Lemashon.
“They are in Taunishevka, Western Russia, waiting to be deployed. None of their friends who have been sent to the frontline have come back alive; two of them, David and Reuben, are dead,” Mwangi added.
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