👥 The aggressor state Russia has significantly intensified the campaign to recruit foreign mercenaries for the war against Ukraine: it is about recruiting manpower in central Africa, in particular - in Rwanda, Burundi, Congo and Uganda.

✔️ A specially created unit of the Ministry of Defense of Russia deals with the recruitment of Africans for their participation in "meat" assaults on Ukrainian soil.

👉 Mercenaries are lured with an initial cash payment of $2,000 for signing a contract, a monthly security of $2,200, medical insurance, and a Russian passport for the soldier and his family members are promised.

❗️ We will remind you that earlier mercenaries from Nepal, recruited by Moscow for the war against Ukraine, deserted en masse from the occupation army due to numerous losses and the brutal treatment of Russian field commanders.

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[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 49 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

They’ve been doing this for months. It began with Indians, then they moved on to Cubans, now Africans. They say that those enlisted won’t see the front lines, and offer high wages to be paid out monthly. Then they stick them on the front lines so they don’t last long enough to be paid.

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 33 points 5 months ago (2 children)

More fodder for the cannons

[–] Streetlights@lemmy.world 37 points 5 months ago (2 children)

The initial payment is probably in the form of a cheque that they won't live long enough to cash.

Russian passports for your whole family? Now they can also be mobilised, good job.

[–] slurpinderpin@lemmy.world 14 points 5 months ago

Yeah its pretty evil

[–] random_character_a@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So there's gonna be such a thing as black Russian?

[–] Noodle07@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

It's just a white Russian without the cream

[–] FinishingDutch@lemmy.world 32 points 5 months ago (1 children)

And you can’t really blame the poor guys who take up this offer either. I imagine this is very attractive to some of those poorest Africans.

But can you imagine dying in the cold mud thousands of miles from home, based on this bullshit? Or losing a loved one to that?

All in all, it certainly shows the Russian level of desperation if this is what’s needed to fill their ranks.

[–] luciferofastora@lemmy.zip 4 points 5 months ago

Desperation preying on desperation

[–] mozz@mbin.grits.dev 26 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

(*) the money is payed in Russian Rubles

I want to say something sarcastic, but this is fuckin heartbreaking. You know their life expectancy, and quality of life up until the day they get fed into the grinder, is near 0. Think of the desperate hope that someone might have signing up for something like this, and then... the result.

[–] chonglibloodsport@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Hey at least they’re up front about it, even if it’s a comical asterisk footnote! I think a lot of African mercenaries will balk at being paid in anything other than USD.

[–] ramble81@lemm.ee 22 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Speaking with ignorance and not malice: how is this different from say what the French Foreign Legion was? I don’t know that history.

[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 33 points 5 months ago

The French Foreign Legion is an elite force, open to non french individuals to enlist.

Because it is, by nature, a multicultural force, the legion has a specific trainning regime to develop unit spirit. These are not cannon fodder: any individual that can make the FFL, can after three years of service request french citizenship.

Russia seems to be just trying to find bodies to fill the ranks.

[–] d00ery@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

The French are on our side.

And TBF, I don't think they've invaded anyone for quite a while nor had colossal losses.

[–] Bartsbigbugbag@lemmy.ml -3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

No, they just hold massive colonial holdings from which they extract trillions of dollars of wealth and materials from, no need to invade.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 17 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I mean, I wouldn't call that lured that's just a job and benefits. That's that's what everyone uses to get employees.

[–] Crack0n7uesday@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

It's a lot easier to not pay a dead foreign soldier than a full time employee you have to lay off.

[–] Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

You're assuming they get any of that and not just a stick and an order to charge a Ukrainian position

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 5 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Who sees and thinks, yeah that's a good deal?

I have seen more convincing emails from Nigerian princes.

[–] RalfWausE@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 5 months ago

It all depends on your circumstances. There were times in my life when i - living in a wealthy country in the midst of europe - would have considered this as a way out of my situation and not such a bad prospect.

So, just put yourself in the shoes of someone who lives in some poor part of africa or asia...

[–] shikitohno@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

There's a reason these schemes are being run in developing countries, and it's not because Putin wants to diversify the Russian workforce. I could see it being an appealing offer for someone looking to get out of Nepal or most African nations, especially for someone who hasn't had luck with getting visas to go elsewhere or that hasn't been able to get a position that didn't involve leaving their family behind. It's not as though they'll be doing this recruiting in all parts of these countries, either, just as I'm sure they're only showing them the nicest parts of Russia to make it look more developed than et really is in many places.