The bodies of two Nigerian nationals, Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Udoka, have been recovered on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine, specifically in the Luhansk region, after being killed by drone strikes while attempting to storm Ukrainian positions.
Ukrainian intelligence (DIU) has described the situation as the brutal exploitation of African recruits, who were deployed in deadly “meat assault” missions with little or no military training.
The two Nigerians were among foreign recruits allegedly sent directly to the front lines, where they were used in high-risk infantry assaults with extremely high casualty rates.
Udoka, who signed a military contract on September 28, 2025, Diaspora Digital Media gathered, received no formal training before being drafted into active combat just five days later.
Ukrainian intelligence has warned that foreign nationals, particularly from African countries, are being recruited with promises of employment or financial incentives, only to be immediately deployed to front-line combat zones.
The agency has described this as a disturbing pattern, with recruits often used in “meat assaults” designed to exhaust Ukrainian ammunition and expose enemy positions, often at the cost of heavy casualties among poorly trained foreign fighters.
The DIU noted that the brutal cost of Russia’s recruitment of African nationals has been laid bare.
The deaths of the two Nigerians come amid growing reports that African nationals recruited into Russian forces are being used in high-risk operations with little regard for their safety.
