A Kenyan man has shared a chilling account of how he was allegedly duped into joining the Russian military and sent to fight in the war in Ukraine, before making a dramatic escape back home.
Dan Chege, one of several Kenyans believed to have been recruited under false pretences, says he travelled to Russia after being promised a job as a driver. However, upon arrival, he claims he was forced to sign documents written in Russian — a language he did not understand.
Unknowingly, Chege says he signed up to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war.
“We were taken to a military camp and ordered to wear army uniforms. When I explained that I had come to work as a driver, they told me that was not what I had signed for,” Chege told Citizen Digital.
At the camp, Chege says he and other recruits were trained to use firearms before being deployed to the battlefield to fight Ukrainian forces.
He described the experience at the frontline as horrifying, claiming that 10 out of the 11 Kenyan recruits he trained with were killed during combat, leaving him as the only survivor.
“I kept begging to be released, but they refused. At one point, a magnetic landmine exploded, killing some of my colleagues and injuring my feet,” he said.
Throughout the ordeal, Chege says he secretly sent videos and photos to his wife in Kenya, warning her that he might not survive the war.
Exhausted, injured and mentally drained, he began plotting his escape.
“I pretended to be mentally unstable and started firing aimlessly in the air. My colleagues reported me to the commander, saying I was behaving abnormally,” Chege said.
He was removed from the battlefield and taken to a mental health facility, where he was put on medication. Fearing he would be sent back to the frontlines, Chege requested a doctor to drop him at the Kenyan Embassy in Moscow, claiming he needed to collect a parcel.
At the embassy, he met a Kenyan staff member whom he credits with saving his life.
“She treated me kindly, gave me food and a place to rest, and helped organise my return home. My mother sold her only cow to buy an air ticket, and the embassy staff helped me get through the airport,” he said.
Chege described his escape as a miracle and warned that more Kenyans may still be at risk of being recruited to fight in Ukraine under false job promises.
His story adds to growing concerns over reports that young Kenyans are being lured abroad with job offers, only to end up in dangerous conflict zones.
