Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2023, reports have emerged of Africans being lured with promises of lucrative jobs in Russia, only to end up fighting on the frontlines.
When Miriam Musisi, a resident of Kigogwa in Wakiso District, escorted her husband to Entebbe International Airport on December 23, 2025, she believed he was embarking on a life-changing job opportunity in Russia. Instead, she says, he ended up on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war and has now been missing for seven months.
Her husband, Charles Musisi, had previously worked as a security guard in Iraq before returning to Uganda in 2011 after his contract ended.
“He used his savings from Iraq to buy a tipper truck, which became our family’s main source of income. But in November 2025, he sold it. When I asked why, he told me he had secured a lucrative driving job in Russia that would pay him $6,000 (about sh21m) per month,” Miriam recalls.
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On the day of his departure, Charles travelled with about 20 other Ugandan men to Moscow after allegedly being recruited by a Russian agent identified only as Dimitri.
According to Miriam, her husband initially kept in touch through WhatsApp after arriving in Moscow. However, the messages soon took a disturbing turn.
“He told me they had been forced to sign contracts written in Russian, which they could not understand, and were then subjected to intensive military training,” she says.
After three weeks of training, Charles informed his wife that he was being deployed to the frontlines in Ukraine.
“Before leaving for the battlefield in February, he gave me Dimitri’s contact and told me that if he was injured or killed, Dimitri would be the person to contact regarding any compensation for the family. He also asked me to keep praying for him,” Miriam says.
Two weeks after his deployment, all communication stopped.
Concerned, Miriam contacted Dimitri in an effort to locate her husband.
“Initially, he was polite and promised to help me speak to my husband. But after several days without any update, I continued demanding answers. That’s when he became hostile,” she says.
According to Miriam, Dimitri allegedly claimed he was too well connected in Uganda to be arrested.
“He told me no security agency in Uganda could touch him. He even sent me photographs of himself posing with some Ugandan ministers and a senior police officer,” she alleges.
She further claims the threats escalated.
“He warned that if I continued asking questions, he would eliminate me within three days. At one point, my phone was hacked and some messages disappeared. I became so frightened that I abandoned my phones and went into hiding for two months because I feared for my life,” she says.
Seven months later, Miriam says she still has no information about whether her husband is alive or dead.
“I don’t know whether he is dead or alive. I’m only grateful that he built us a house before leaving. Otherwise, my children and I would have nowhere to live. But meeting basic needs like food and school fees has become a daily struggle,” she says.
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Miriam is among more than 90 Ugandans, most of them wives of missing recruits, who are appealing to the Government to intervene and help establish the whereabouts of their loved ones and facilitate their return home.
The group’s coordinator, Innocent Kato, says they have sought help from several government offices without success.
“We have approached many government institutions, but nothing has materialised. The Prime Minister promised to help us, yet we have not seen any progress. Even the Ugandan Embassy in Moscow has not been helpful. Those who have managed to escape from the frontlines told us they were handed over to Russian authorities whenever they sought assistance from the embassy,” Kato says.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, acknowledged that some Ugandans had been recruited to fight alongside Russian forces but said the embassy played no role in the recruitment.
“They signed contracts with the people who recruited them, and they are expected to serve until those contracts expire,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire, directed the Ugandan Embassy in Moscow to investigate the reports and submit a detailed report within seven days.
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Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2023, reports have emerged of Africans being lured with promises of lucrative jobs in Russia, only to end up fighting on the frontlines. Recruits have reportedly come from countries including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Some African governments have since secured the return of their citizens. In May, Kenya facilitated the rescue of several of its nationals following the intervention of Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, while South Africa repatriated some of its citizens after diplomatic efforts led by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The families of the missing Ugandans are now hoping their government will take similar action before more lives are lost.
