Promises of Pay, Frontline Peril: Africans Say Russia Duped Them into Ukraine War

CNN’s investigation documents how African job seekers were lured with promises of civilian work, high salaries, and citizenship by Russian recruiters for Ukraine, only to be coerced into frontline military service, given minimal training, and faced with passport confiscation and unpaid pay; several have died or been injured, while others seek to return home as governments acknowledge the problem and contracts reveal long-term obligations and restricted post-service freedoms.