The embassy also reported that five Ugandans were still serving in the Russian army and would be discharged when their contracts expired.
At least 11 Ugandans enlisted in the Russian armed forces have been confirmed dead, while 16 others are missing and presumed dead, according to a report from Uganda’s embassy in Moscow.
The embassy has urged the Government of Uganda to urgently notify the families of the deceased so they can begin processing benefits due to their relatives.
In a letter dated October 17, 2026, addressed to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Uganda’s Head of Mission in Moscow, Ambassador Moses K. Kizige, said Russian authorities had provided an update on Ugandans believed to be serving in the country’s military operations zone.
The information was communicated to the embassy on October 8, following a request Kizige had made to the Russian government on August 19.
The embassy said the 11 Ugandans had been pronounced dead, while 16 others were reported missing, with their whereabouts unknown.
According to the letter, the missing Ugandans were considered effectively dead because their bodies could not be located. The embassy added that they were not known to be prisoners of war.
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The embassy also reported that five Ugandans were still serving in the Russian army and would be discharged when their contracts expired.
Another Ugandan, Robert Tumwebaze, was reported to have been dismissed from military service.
Kizige said Tumwebaze had previously been taken to the embassy by officials from a military hospital in Nizhny Novgorod but reportedly fled from embassy staff at a railway station.
The ambassador said the embassy had received passport details of some of the Ugandans from Innocent Kato, whom he described as the principal petitioner representing families seeking information about relatives believed to be serving in the Russian military.
The embassy verified the passport details with Uganda’s Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration before requesting information from Russian authorities.
Kizige also reminded the ministry that the embassy had not received communication from the families of Baker Mwesigye, Alex Mutesigensi and Edson Kamwesigye, whose deaths had earlier been confirmed by Russia’s Ministry of Defence and communicated to the Ugandan government.
He urged families seeking to trace relatives believed to be in the Russian military operations zone to provide their passport details to the embassy in Moscow to facilitate inquiries.
The letter did not provide details about the circumstances in which the Ugandans died or went missing.