UKRAINIAN forces have reportedly captured a Nigerian national, Kehinde Oluwagbemileke, who is said to have been fighting alongside Russian troops in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In a video released by the Ukrainian Freedom of Russia Legion, Oluwagbemileke is seen being interrogated, stating that he was captured in the Zaporizhzhia region after serving with Russian forces for five months.
“Our stormtroopers have returned from a mission with an unusual trophy—Kehinde Oluwagbemileke. He was identified as 24-year-old Wang Wu. Apparently, due to a shortage of cannon fodder, Putin’s commanders are luring foreigners by deception to “defend the motherland” in far-off Ukraine,” it said.
It revealed that the man had been living in Russia for four years before his arrest on drugs related charges.
He reportedly agreed to join Russia’s military campaign in exchange for a reduced sentence, rather than serving prison term under Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code.
“Kehinde is one of thousands of mercenaries from third countries recruited by Russia’s Defense Ministry to fight in Ukraine,” the organisation stated.
“We’ve already published data on nearly 7,000 foreign fighters from 14 countries, but that’s only a small part of the foreigners the Kremlin has sent to die in Ukraine. All of them are cheap manpower, which is not spared.” it added.
The ICIR reports that the Ukrainian Armed Forces captured another foreign soldier, a Chinese national, last week, who was reportedly fighting for the Russian military.
Thousands of people, mostly Ukrainians, have been killed since the war that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues.