. Four other Nigerian fighters killed in Ukraine between December 2025 and January 2026
. Deceased Nigerians recruited under false pretence of “security job”, conscripted, deployed to war front after three-week training
. Russian Embassy in Abuja allegedly granted Nigerian mercenaries single-entry tourist visas without biometric capture, other application requirements
. Mercenaries promised tempting monthly salary of 200,000 ruble (about N3.6m), allowances, other perks
. Upon arrival in Russia, mercenaries passports confiscated, making it impossible to flee
. Mercenaries made to sign military service contracts in Russian language without lawyers, interpretation
Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (UDI) has identified two Nigerians – Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Udoka – killed while fighting on the side of Russia as mercenaries.
Ukraine unveiled the identities of the Nigerian mercenaries following Russia’s denial of the knowledge of Nigerians being recruited to fight on the frontlines.
Addressing reporters in Abuja, on Tuesday, Russian Ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podyolyshev, while addressing in Abuja on Tuesday, had claimed not to be aware of any government-backed programme to recruit Nigerians to fight in the war in Ukraine.
According to him, if at all such activity exists, it is not connected with the Russian state.
But on Thursday, Ukrainian Defence Intelligence released photographs of Nigerian mercenaries killed while fighting for Russia.
“In the Luhansk region, military intelligence operatives discovered the bodies of two citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria — Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole (03.04.1983) and Mbah Stephen Udoka (07.01.1988),” the statement read.
The statement revealed that both men served in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91701) of the 4th guards kantemirovskaya tank division of the armed forces of the Russian federation.
UDI said that the men signed contracts with the Russian Army in the second half of 2025 – Kolawole on August 29 and Udoka on September 28.
“Udoka received no training whatsoever — just five days later, on October 3, he was assigned to the unit and sent to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine,” the report read.
It also stated that no training records for Kolawole have been preserved; however, it is highly likely that he also received no military training but his wife and three children remain in Nigeria.
The statement added that both Nigerians were killed in late November during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region.
“They never engaged in a firefight — the mercenaries were eliminated by a drone strike,” UDI stated, warning foreign citizens against traveling to the Russian federation or taking up any work on the territory of the “aggressor state”.
“A trip to Russia is a real risk of being forced into a suicide assault unit and, ultimately, rotting in Ukrainian soil,” the statement read.
Recent media reports had disclosed how four Nigerians — Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, Abugu Stanley Onyeka and Balogun Ridwan Adisa — were killed on the frontlines in Ukraine.
The deceased Nigerians were said to have been recruited on the false pretence of “security job” but ended up being conscripted and deployed to the war front after three weeks of training.
The Nigerian fighters reportedly died on the frontline on different dates between December 2025 and January 2026.
Death of the four Nigerians was said to have first been broken in a secret WhatsApp group opened by African mercenaries.
The Russian Embassy in Abuja reportedly granted the Nigerian mercenaries a single-entry tourist visa without biometric capture and fulfilling other application requirements.
The mercenaries were also said to have been promised a tempting monthly salary of 200,000 ruble (about 3.6million naira) as well as allowances and other perks.
But upon arrival in Russia, they were allegedly conscripted into the military and given little training before being deployed to the frontline. They were reportedly made to sign military service contracts in Russian language without lawyers or translation provided.
It was alleged that the passports of the Nigerian mercenaries were confiscated, rendering them unable to flee the country.
