By Hans Ngala
As Russia’s war on Ukraine drags on, African men are paying the price with their lives. The largest number of deaths in the war from any African country, have been Cameroonian men. Nearly 1,000 of them have died fighting on Russia’s side. Ukraine admits that there are equally Africans and other foreigners fighting in its army, but argues that unlike Russia, Ukraine respects international norms when recruiting.
According to Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine’s Foreign Affairs minister, “That’s a fact that Russians try to engage more citizens of African countries into their armed forces”, adding that even though Ukraine now holds most of these African men as prisoners of war (POWs), “they are the victims of these illegal Russian activities, illegal Russian propaganda”.
Sybiha added that some of them came on study visas to Russia, but ended up on the battlefront.
This is precisely what happened to Dongmo Brice whose story we first reported in August 2025. Dongmo had left Cameroon at age 35 on a study visa his sister confirmed to us in August 2025. However, by that time, Dongmo who was 38 at the time, had been reported dead – his family never seeing his body and Russian authorities not giving the family any answers.
‘I Thought He Was Joking’: How Cameroonians Learn of Travel Options to Russia
Just like in the case of Brice Dongmo, other Cameroonian men whose stories CNA has covered, are similar. Dongmo learned of the study opportunity in Russia through a friend, his family believes. They are unsure who or how exactly. Dongmo’s family learned that their son had been killed in Russia thanks to another Cameroonian friend who was in the Russian army with him. His friend called Dongmo’s family to inform them after he was killed.
Ngoran Franklin, another Cameroonian man who lost his life in Russia had gone to the cybercafe where he filled the recruitment forms, printed out some paper work and told the receptionist in Yaounde that he was going to Russia.
The receptionist who was also a friend of his, tells CNA that he thought Franklin was joking as he was often a jovial and playful person. “I was just shocked and speechless when I learned that he actually went through with his dream of joining the Russian army because I know he had no military experience. I thought he was joking” the cybercafé receptionist explains.
Franklin left behind two kids. His wife was heavily pregnant with their second child when he was working on his papers for Russia and he never got to see his second baby.
It is unclear what Russian recruitment agency or individual helped Franklin with his travel to Russia but there are multiple Russian companies that recruit military-age men (18 to 45) in Cameroon.
Most of them seem to operate in the shadows or through crafty schemes.
Exactly How Do Russian Recruiters Operate?
The manner of operation is very complex and difficult to decipher but there is evidence that a program called ‘African Initiative’, a Moscow-backed information project that expands Russian influence across the African continent through local outreach, media, and civic engagement – is one of the tactics used by Russian agents.
According to the French Prime Minister’s Office in a 48-page report titled “African Initiative: From Public Diplomacy to Covert Influence Operations” released in 2025, “African Initiative is led by individuals suspected by several open-source investigations of having ties to the Russian intelligence services (RIS) suggesting that this structure is a front, unofficially administered by the RIS to disseminate propaganda”.
According to Africa Defense Forum magazine, “The African Initiative is an online platform with deep ties to the notorious Russian mercenary outfit formerly known as the Wagner Group, which now operates on the continent under the control of the Russian Defense Ministry with a rebranded name: the Africa Corps.”
The African Initiative helps present a positive image of Russia to Cameroonians, promoting Russian interests and advancing programs like Alabuga through which girls are sent to Russia on a cultural exchange, but many have reportedly ended up in drone manufacturing industries which are in turn considered legitimate targets by Ukrainian forces.
In August 2025, just after interviewing Dongmo Brice’s sister, we identified one Cameroonian girl who was heading to Russia under the Alabuga program. However, she declined our request for an interview and stated that she knew she was going for an educational exchange program. When asked over the phone if she was aware of the risks involved, she said yes – suggesting she may have been aware that she was not just going for a cultural exchange program as Alabuga is often presented to them.
The clearest recruitment agency is Enangue Holdings based in Yaounde and owned by Paris-based Cameroonian, Michel Ateba. In May 2026, the company was sanctioned by the UK Government “on the basis that it is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine or undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine by providing support for or promoting actions which destabilise Ukraine or undermine or threaten its territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence”. UK authorities went on to add that “Specifically, ENANGUE HOLDING has been involved in the recruitment of foreign nationals, largely from Cameroon, on behalf of Alabuga Start Programme.
The Alabuga Start Programme is a Russian recruitment scheme that hires individuals from outside Russia, usually from economically insecure backgrounds, using deceptive practices and puts them to work in Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone in the Republic of Tatarstan. These individuals assist in the production of military drones within the Alabuga Special Economic Zone which are then deployed as attack and reconnaissance vehicles in Ukraine”.
CNA used a third party to contact Enangue Holdings but never got a response from the organization. The company’s Facebook page is still functional but seems to have been inactive since February 22, 2026 but a local Cameroonian Orange number on the page is active on WhatsApp, suggesting that this is being used as the company’s principal means of communication.
What Does All This Mean for Cameroon?
As Russia’s aggression against Ukraine enters its fifth year, the dire consequences remain and the human toll is being borne largely by Cameroonians and other Africans who actually have no interest on either side of the war, but nevertheless, find themselves at both sides of it.
Eyong Blaise, a Cameroonian freelance reporter who regularly works for the BBC and German broadcaster DW, says that what the continued recruitment of Cameroonians exposes is a rot in Cameroonian leadership. Bad leadership which pushes citizens to join a war which Ukraine’s Froeign Minister, Andrii Sybiha describes as a “one-way ticket to death”.
The recruitment of Cameroonians into Russia’s war is not only a foreign policy concern; it is also a national governance and public awareness issue, especially for Cameroonians. It demands greater scrutiny from Cameroonian authorities, stronger regulation of overseas recruitment schemes, and sustained public education on the risks associated with offers that promise education, employment or better economic opportunities abroad.
Families, schools and community leaders also have a role to play in helping young people verify such opportunities before making life-altering decisions. It would be unrealistic to say Cameroonians should never travel to Russia, nor would it be realistic to suggest that all Russians support what their government does. It is important to distinguish the Russian government from its people here.
However, unless the underlying economic vulnerabilities and information gaps in Cameroon are addressed, more young Cameroonians will likely continue to fall prey to deceptive recruitment networks. For many, the promise of a better future has instead become a journey from hope to the battlefield—one from which far too many never return
