'They are dying': Families of Kenyans trapped in Russia's war plead for help

Nearly two weeks after the government promised to resolve the plight of Kenyans trapped in Russia’s war against Ukraine, families across the country cling to their phones, listening to desperate voice notes and viewing haunting photos of their sons in Russian military uniforms — unsure if they will ever return home alive.

The young men boarded planes filled with hope believing they had secured jobs abroad, only to find themselves trapped in a nightmare far from home; fighting in a war they never signed up for.  All of them left on tourist visas, lured by unscrupulous agencies and Russians — some of whom, The Standard has established, operated within Kenya’s borders, promising lucrative jobs in Russia.

“The Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has constructively engaged with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in a bid to secure the release of the Kenyans in distress and ensure their safe passage home” said a statement signed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi on October 27 the day The Standard broke the story.  

A high placed source at Kenya’s mission in Moscow told The Standard that even before we broke the story of Kenyans trapped in Russia, on October 27, the department of Diaspora Affairs had begun the process of seeking out Kenyans forced into war to help them return home.

Six families from different parts of the country have reached out to The Standard to raise their voice in an attempt to save their loved ones who are today serving on the war frontlines. We have also reached at-least ten youthful Kenyans living the nightmare in war who were able to break thick security rules using modern technology to share their stories with us. 

When the initial call came; a WhatsApp message or voice note offering a chance to work in Russia, with a visa “easy,” a ticket “arranged,” and pay “better than many jobs in Kenya” for many, it sounded like an escape from the relentless struggles of debt and barely subsisting on menial jobs. 

Tom (not his real name) from Nairobi, was one such hopeful man. Today, he is one of tens of Kenyans on the war frontlines. He gave us his story through his wife who granted us an interview 

“When he heard about the job, he believed it was answered prayers,” his wife told The Standard. 

Tom was promised a short-term drone teaching job in Moscow with good pay.  

They prepared paperwork as a visitor, travelling on a tourist visa faster to arrange than a work permit, with assurances that work permits would come later. 

The wife recalled how the relationship with a Russian man who met Tom in Nairobi enabled trust to grow.  

“He told them no upfront fees, and my husband would pay back the flight ticket after his first salary,” she said. 

Landing in Moscow, the dream quickly soured. Tom’s visa was fine, but his Kenyan bank card failed due to sanctions, leaving him cashless.  

Taxi driver

He was advised by his handler in Moscow not to leave the airport, and through a taxi driver, he was handed small amounts of money and shuffled between hotels. 

Then, confusion. 

A train ride out of Russia, followed by a quick return. Soon, dozens of other Kenyans appeared at a meeting point, each with their own story but similar fates. 

Factories had no vacancies. The “jobs” had shifted. After days held in detention-like facilities, they were given papers to sign contracts in Russian they could not read, which bound them to military service. 

“They said the factory was full, but they must work. Then they said the military needed some special skills, so they pushed my husband to sign a one-year military contract. He had no choice,” the wife said. 

Her husband’s WhatsApp voice notes have become the family’s lifeline – it is full of fear. 

“We came to make a living, but I am trapped in an army I never chose. People are dying, many are injured. Kenyans here are many, we want to come home,” Tom said in the voice notes. 

This trap was made crueler by debt. The flight was a loan, not a gift. The men were told if they refused, they will return empty-handed and humiliated, burdened by debt. 

Facing this impossible choice, they signed away their freedom and were thrust into combat training. 

“We were taught bombs, landmines, for two weeks. Then given uniforms and guns and told we were to be deployed to the frontline in the war,” said Tom.  

Their phones were taken and communication is very restricted.

“He only calls me secretly, briefly. He says the training was very intense, and sometimes Ukrainian drones dropped bombs nearby. They bury the dead every day. People shoot themselves because of the trauma,” the wife said. 

She added: “My husband told me they eat once every three days, mostly noodles. When his friend could no longer continue, he was killed. My husband said they were forced to bury him,” the wife said with tears flowing. 

Tom’s Kenyan comrades on the frontlines who have benefited from his special skills and shared their stories with The Standard. 

A message from one said: “We have been told we are moving to the frontline. The job we were promised was security. Now, we are soldiers, thrown to war without real training, and many of us are getting sick. Some have died already. Please, help us come back.” 

Another video said: “When we arrived, they said we would train for three weeks to get back into service and ready for the guard jobs they had promised us, but after two weeks, we were forced to join the military and told to be ready for deployment. We are the assault unit. Ukrainians fight with drones, we only have guns. Nobody cares if we live or die.”

Military buildings

Another voice begged: “We were lied to. They said we would guard military buildings, but now we fight. We can’t read the papers we signed, the money they want us to repay is crushing us. Phones are taken, we are watched constantly. Please help us come to come back.” 

Another said: “I am stressed. I came to make a living but am trapped in something I didn’t prepare for. We were told the factory had no vacancies, and now we are in the army. People are dying, others injured. We are moving close to the frontline, and we are currently at the border, just 6 km from Ukraine. The agents told us we would secure the borders, but we are thrown into a real war with little training. Phones taken, they harass us. We are begging to be rescued.” 

Another one added: “We are the assault unit with only one month’s training. And let no one lie, there are no Russians here, only foreigners.” 

John Kariuki from Kilimambogo, Kiambu County lives with the anguish of his son Samuel Maina, a 31-year-old former Kenyan soldier lured to Russia with promises of a well-paying job will be deployed to the frontlines.  

Maina, a former Kenya Defence Forces soldier, left home on August 17, after securing what he believed was a security guard job in Russia, but his expectations reportedly changed drastically upon arrival. 

His father said Samuel had served in the Kenyan military for nearly eight years before leaving to explore better opportunities abroad. 

“When he left Kenya he told us he had secured a job with a security firm and would be working as a guard. But to his shock and that of his colleagues, they were instead trained for only five days and then taken to fight in Ukraine,” Kariuki said. 

Kariuki described his son as disciplined and hardworking, saying he only wanted to improve his life and support the family. 

“We never imagined that what looked like a good job opportunity would turn into such a nightmare,” he said. 

According to his father, Samuel, who used to communicate with his family via WhatsApp, narrated the harsh experiences he was going through and expressed his wish to return to Kenya. 

His sister, Mary Njeri, said Samuel often shared the unbearable conditions he faced while in combat and kept pleading for help to come back home. 

“He told me life there was extremely difficult,” recalled Njeri. “He said they were being forced to fight and that some of his friends had died. He kept asking if there was a way he could come back home.” 

Samuel’s mother, Rahab Muthoni, said her son the firstborn of six was the family’s breadwinner and had not sent any money home since his departure, adding that he had not been paid by those who recruited him. 

“Samuel has always been our pillar. Since he left, we have not received even a single shilling,” said a tearful Muthoni. “He told me they were not being paid and that life was becoming unbearable. I just want my son back.” 

Through their WhatsApp communication, the ex-KDF soldier told his family that life became harder after their unit was attacked by enemies, leaving only two survivors one of whom later died after being hit by a bomb while Samuel was left seriously injured in the arm. 

“There was a time a bomb was thrown at them, and he watched as his colleague was blown up by the blast,” Muthoni narrated. “He was injured on the hand but managed to run for about six kilometres until he reached a military base, where he received treatment. Soon after, he was forced back to the frontline.” 

Last conversation

The family said their last conversation with Samuel was on Saturday, October 25, after which all communication ceased. 

The family says they only wish their son could return home. 

The families live in uncertainty. They cannot mourn deaths that might have happened, nor can they celebrate uncertain survival. For them, every silence is a wound. 

“We beg the government to help. Warn others not to trust these ‘agents’ promising jobs in Russia. Our people are dying there, beaten if they disobey,” the wife to Peter said. 

 “They told us that from the facility they are being held at, is very close to the Kenyan embassy, yet no help comes. Our sons were lured by promises of good pay and citizenship, but it is a trap in a deadly war. We pray for their lives every day,” a father of another Kenyan currently in Russia said. 

He said that the young men risked everything for a chance to get well paying jobs, only to be ensnared in a war thousands of miles from home.  

The families are pleading with the Kenyan government to intensify diplomatic efforts to trace, protect, and repatriate their sons.  

They urge the public to spread awareness about taking jobs in Russia. 

“I scroll on social media and see people saying they want to go. I beg them not to. It is violent and racist. Kenyans there are many. They have been separated in groups so they cannot communicate. Phones are taken and destroyed. They could still be alive, but people are dying every day. Some even kill themselves. My husband told me he met a 54-year-old Kenyan man with no legs who has been stuck there for two years. It is not easy.”