Russia signed up 530 Zimbabwean men to its armed forces between January and September this year, up from 65 in the whole of 2025, according to figures from Ukrainian authorities.

The number appears in a Ukrainian intelligence presentation seen by Bloomberg and published by News24 on Monday. It matches separate data released on 20 October by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which the Kyiv Independent and Hromadske reported. Neither Russia nor Zimbabwe has confirmed the figures, and Hromadske noted that they could not be independently verified.

What the figures say

According to the presentation, as reported by Bloomberg, Russia is recruiting more Africans to make up for heavy losses, and has turned to countries with weak institutions and limited press freedom after Kenya and South Africa moved to stop their citizens leaving. Burundi saw the sharpest rise, from 30 recruits in 2025 to 699 this year. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan and Cameroon also saw big increases.

The presentation included an online advert said to have been used in Zimbabwe. It shows an African man in military uniform and promotes a "programme for specialists from Zimbabwe, limited spots", inviting people to take a test to see if they qualify. Bloomberg said the advert does not say that people who sign up could be sent to the front line in Ukraine.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters says 45,959 foreigners from 151 countries have signed Russian military contracts since the full-scale invasion in 2022, 16,168 of them in the first nine months of 2026. Bloomberg's report puts the number of Africans among them at 5,451. A survey of foreign prisoners by the headquarters' "I Want to Live" project found 28% said they did not know they would be sent to fight, the Kyiv Independent reported.

Russia has never publicly admitted using foreigners to fight in Ukraine, and the Kremlin did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.

Why it matters

The figures come out as President Emmerson Mnangagwa is in Moscow for the third Russia-Africa Summit on 28 and 29 October, where The Herald and NewZimbabwe report he is due to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and address Zimbabweans living in Russia, most of them students.

Families of recruits and an Amnesty International report have described offers of signing-on bonuses, salaries and a path to Russian citizenship, Bloomberg reported, while others were lured with promises of civilian jobs in catering or transport. Botswana and South Africa have issued public warnings about job offers in Russia, and Kenya and Ghana have asked Moscow directly to stop recruiting their citizens.

We could not find a public response from Zimbabwe's government to the new figures on Monday afternoon. Anyone weighing an overseas job offer, especially one asking applicants to travel to Russia, should check it with official government channels before signing anything.

What we don't know yet

How many of the 530 Zimbabweans are still serving, have been captured, or have died.

Whether Zimbabwe will raise recruitment with Russia during this week's summit.

Sources: News24 (Bloomberg), 26 Oct 2026: https://www.news24.com/business/economy/hundreds-in-zim-recruited-for-war-as-russia-also-targets-drc-madagascar-20261026-0801 · UA.NEWS (citing Bloomberg), 26 Oct 2026: https://ua.news/en/war-vs-rf/rosiia-posilila-verbuvannia-afrikantsiv-iz-zimbabve-na-viinu-proti-ukrayini-bloomberg · Kyiv Independent, 20 Oct 2026: https://kyivindependent.com/almost-46-000-foreigners-have-signed-contracts-with-russian-army-since-2022-ukraine-says/ · Hromadske, 20 Oct 2026: https://hromadske.ua/en/war/272866-nearly-46000-foreigners-from-151-countries-signed-contracts-with-russian-military-ukraine-says · NewZimbabwe, 26 Oct 2026 (summit context): https://www.newzimbabwe.com/zimbabwe-chases-trade-and-investment-deals-at-russia-africa-summit/ · The Herald (summit context): https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/president-arrives-in-russia/

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