Kenyan man’s nightmare ordeal | The Conversation | BBC Focus on Africa

BBC Focus on Africa podcast host Charles Gitonga spoke to a Kenyan man who says he believed he was travelling to Russia to join a basketball team but was instead coerced into military service. He describes signing a contract in Russian, witnessing death in battle, and fighting in a war he says he never agreed to join. Young men across Africa are receiving promises of jobs abroad, only to find themselves at the forefront of the Russia-Ukraine war. Ukraine says more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries are fighting alongside Russian forces. In Kenya, a new intelligence report suggests that more than 1,000 citizens may have been recruited. Chapters 00:00-00:49 Coming up 00:50-01:46 How many Africans are fighting for Russia in Ukraine 02:03-05:10 How he ended up in Russia 05:12-08:32 Tricked into signing the ‘wrong’ contract 08:32- 12:03 ‘Forced’ military training 12:17-15: 14 Deployed into combat and drone attack 16:41- 18:03 ‘Racism’ in the battlefield 18:09-21:17 Journey back home 21:46-23:08 Scars from the battlefield 23:24-24:10 Kenyan government response 24:11- 24:47 Russian Embassy in Nairobi response 24:48-25:15 Closing #bbcafrica #ukrainerussiawar #kenyanews Presenter: Charles Gitonga Producers: Carolyne Kiambo and Fana Negash Senior Producer: Priya Sippy Editors: Maryam Abdalla and Sam Murunga #RussiaUkraineWar #theconversation #bbcafrica Subscribe: http://bit.ly/subscribetoafrica Website: https://www.bbc.com/africa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bbcnewsafrica/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/bbcafrica/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bbcafrica/