By Peter Omopo
Kyiv, Ukraine | July 5, 2025 — Ukrainian forces have captured a Nigerian national, Kehinde Oluwagbemileke, who had been fighting for the Russian military in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, officials revealed on Friday.
The 29-year-old was apprehended in the Zaporizhzhia region by members of the Freedom of Russia Legion — a pro-Ukrainian unit composed of Russian defectors — according to the “I Want to Live” project, a Ukrainian government initiative aiding foreign fighters and defectors.
Oluwagbemileke, who had been residing in Russia for four years prior to his recruitment, was reportedly serving a sentence for a drug-related offense under Article 228 of the Russian Criminal Code. He was offered early release in exchange for agreeing to join Russia’s war effort in Ukraine.
“Kehinde is one of thousands of mercenaries from third countries recruited by Russia’s Defence Ministry to fight in Ukraine,” the project stated. “We’ve already published data on nearly 7,000 foreign fighters from 14 countries, but that’s only a small fraction. These individuals are treated as disposable cannon fodder by the Kremlin.”
The Ukrainian Armed Forces also recently captured a Chinese citizen, 24-year-old Wang Wu, similarly conscripted into the Russian army.
A video interview of Oluwagbemileke, shared by the Freedom of Russia Legion and transcribed using AI, shows the Nigerian confirming he was released from prison to fight in the war. During the questioning, he stated that his family remains in Nigeria and that he joined the Russian military for “quick liberation.”
Russian authorities have increasingly turned to foreign nationals and incarcerated individuals to replenish military ranks amid rising casualties in the ongoing conflict. Ukraine has condemned the practice, calling it exploitative and inhumane.
Ukrainian officials say the capture of foreign fighters further underscores the desperation within Russian military ranks and the global scope of the war’s human toll.
