Russia Recruits Mercenaries From Foreign Tourists for Fighting Against Ukraine

Russia is using a scheme to recruit foreign tourists into its occupation army, leaving them without documents and unable to return home.

This was reported by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

The agency identified a mercenary from the Republic of Mauritius—Prakash Stiven Boakye—who was killed in the Sumy region.

According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, on June 22, 2025, Prakash arrived in St. Petersburg as a tourist and planned to return to Africa on July 21.

However, on August 21, Russian law enforcement officials fined him 7,000 rubles for illegally staying in Russia and offered him a way to avoid further problems by signing a contract with the Russian army.

According to intelligence reports, after a week of training, the Mauritian citizen was assigned to an assault unit, and in approximately December 2025, he was killed while attempting to illegally cross the Ukrainian state border in the Sumy region.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine noted that this is a typical scheme Russia uses against tourists, labor migrants, and students from African countries.

According to intelligence reports, foreigners are issued visas, given tickets to Russia, and promised jobs.

Upon arrival, intermediaries take their passports, ostensibly to process paperwork, and later inform them that there are no job openings, their visas have been revoked, and they lack the funds to return home.

The victims are forced to choose between deportation with debt, imprisonment, or signing a contract with the Russian Armed Forces—the terms of which they often do not understand due to the language barrier.

Recently, Botswana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported a sharp increase in the number of its citizens who are being deceived into joining the Russian army to fight in the war against Ukraine.

In May, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported that Russia is recruiting citizens of African countries for the war by deceiving them with job offers and confiscating their passports.