African mercenaries in Ukraine: Nigeria tops list released by Russia

This is according to the Russian Ministry of Defence’s breakdown of countries whose citizens were serving as mercenaries fighting for Ukraine in the war.

In an X post on the Foreign Ministry’s official handle, Russia said a total of 13,387 mercenaries arrived in Ukraine since February 24, 2024, out of which 5,962 had so far been eliminated.

African mercenaries were 249 in total out of which 103 had been killed so far.

In giving a breakdown of the figure, Russia listed a total of 13 countries, out of which Nigeria had the highest number (97) followed by Algeria, South Africa, Guinea and Senegal with 60, 35, 10 and 15 mercenaries respectively.

Reports in recent months by the BBC showed that a Tanzanian and Zambian have been killed on the frontlines.

While the Nigerian government has yet to comment, Kenya, one of the countries said to have 5 citizens fighting as mercenaries, has formally rejected the Russian claim that its citizens are involved in the war.

See total mercenary list by Russia

On the side of Russia, there have been reports of recruitment by the Russian mercenary force, the Wagner Group.

The group is known to be a strong force in some West African countries relative to the fight against terrorism.

The group is said to be a major contributor of fighters for Russia.