Trapped
Di African Prisoners of Faraway War
Lud Beverly, one former military cadet from Congo-Brazzaville, hold im hands wey dem bandage for im front, and some of im fingers no complete again.
E siddon on top one hospital bed for one prisoner war camp for western Ukraine.
Di 28-year-old don dey di facility for three months wen BBC team visit for late March to find out more about one clear rise for di number of African fighters wey dey caught up for di Russia-Ukraine war.
According to Ukrainian figures, one in eight prisoners of war (PoWs) Ukraine capture lasy year na frpm Africa. Ukraine now believe say Africans account for ova 10% out of Russia estimated 27,000-plus foreign recruits.
"As I dey carry out my combat tasks, I bin get frostbite - and wen dem capture me, I no get gloves," Beverly tok for fluent Russian about in injuries.
"We dey waka wit our legs, e dey very cold."
"I get first-stage frostbite," e tok.
Dem send am go Russia seven years ago wen e be young soja to study for one naval institute, e later marry and get one daughter. But e enta money wahala, e begin dey sell drugs and e end up for one Russian prison. Instead of to serve im sentence, dem offer am freedom, if e go serve for di war.
"To pay for di crime wey I committ, I bin decide to serve Russia, and becos of dat, dem send me," e tell me.
Media visits to the camp are organised on the last Thursday of each month as part of a broader Ukrainian initiative to show that POWs are treated well. Officials would not give us exact figures about those at the camp, except to say that the Africans there came from 15 different countries.
Beverly say im no get any complain about im treatment, e say di doctors dey kind and camp life be like being in di army - boring.
African PoWs for one detention centre for Ukraine on November 26, 2025. Getty Images.
During di interview, e ask im family and im kontri, wey e say dey neutral for di war, to forgive am. Most of all, e want make di kasala end.
“Both sides don lose plenty tins - I dey there, e dey terrible.”
Lud Beverly
Prisoner of war for Ukraine
Di prisoners of war
All PoWs wey agree to follow us tok get different ways dem take enta di conflict. Some of dem say dem wan go back Russia to ensure say dem collect di money dem dey owed - nobody wan go back di war front.
Wen we first reach there, di aroma of di soup first hit us - and we join prisoners for navy uniforms wey line up quietly for lunch.
Later, dem ask prisoners if dem wan follow visiting journalists tok. Some from Afica gada togeda for di back of one dormitory: loners for di edge, extroverts dey joke and tease each oda and some avoid eye contact throughout.
One man step forward wen e hear say BBC crew dey among di visitors. E introduce imsef as Richard Kanu from Sierra Leone capital, Freetown.
E say telling im story, go be way to reassure im family and im three children say im still dey alive.
Di 43-year-old don dey dis camp for one year and for Ukrainian captivity for two years.
Like Beverly, e get military background, but say im no get idea wen e accept to work as security guard say im go end up for war zone.
E bin serve for di Sierra Leonean army for 17 years, and dey earn $100 a month. Personal tensions within im military unit make am leave - and desperate to make more money, e wan japa go Europe, through tourists visa
"My daughter wan be doctor. I wan fit pay for her university studies, for her to fulfil her dreams," e tell me.
All di kontri wey a apply visa to turn am down - except Russia. Wen e land there for 2024, e get in touch wit one job agent and no fit believe im luck wen dem offer am $15,000 to sign one year contract wit monthly salary of $2,000, even though, e no sabi speak Russia. Dem send am go di southern city of Rostov-on-Don, around 200km (125 miles) from di front line for Ukraine.
"Wen I land for Rostov, I see myself for military camp," e tok - na pesin for there tell am say im don in fact sign one-year contract wit di Russian army. E dey shocked - but no shake as e hear say dat go make am dey entitled to Russian citizenship.
"Afta my one year, I go get di documents of Russia and my money. I go get di opportunity to bring my family come Russia. I go dey live normal life for Russia."
But e say di front dey very dangerous given di advancement of technology on both sides. Some prisoners still dey deeply by dia experiences for there.
For anoda dormitory, Kenyan prisoner Evans Kibet initially no gree follow us tok, but wen dem greet am for Swahili, di language wey I dey speak, e warm up.
Mana oge Kibet nụrụ na ọtụtụ ezịnaụlọ chị obi n'aka n'ihi akụkọ na o nwere ndị alara n'ụzọ akwụghị ọtọ laga Rọshịa, kwee ha nkwa inye ha ezigbo ọrụ , ha rute ọ bụrụ ịga lụrụ Rọshịa agha, o jidenwụzighị onwe ya.
Ozi nnyocha sị Yukren na-ekwu na ndị Kenya kachasị n'ọnụọgụgụ ndị Afrịka etinyere n'ọrụ agha nke Rọshịa - ndị na-eso ha bu ndị Ijipt, ndị Kamerun, Ndị Gana na ndị Yuganda.
"Di battlefield no be joke. Pipo dey die left, right and centre. And nobody really care," di 36-year-old tok.
E describe how drone strikes dey leave scattered bodies across di ground.
How sojas dey push forward, unable or unwilling to go back and help.
E point BBC crew to one fellow Kenyan for anoda dormitory, e say dem fit wan tok on camera.
Willy Macharia dey happy to chat bifor e go for late lunch: "Food plenty dey here, I fit chop later."
Na one face I recognise as di 23-year-old wey don dey all ova social media dey warn young Kenyans say make dem no join.
Wen I ask am about dis, e claim say na Ukrainian officers force am to feem dos videos.
I later ask Petro Yaksenko, tok-tok pesin for Ukraine Co-ordination Headquarters for di Treatment of Prisoners of War, about dis and e deny di accuse.
Macharia say im bin dey di front line for three months - e join di war wit di promises of good pay plus di possibility of further education. But e dey careful as e no tok how exactly dem take recruit am: "Na Russia I bin dey fight for, as I dey Ukraine mean say I dey enemy hands."
To pass time for di camp, like oda prisoners, e dey do small jobs to make money wey e fit spend for small kiosk wey dey sell snacks, soap and sugar.
E also dey learn Ukrainian language for di prison library, as e just wan understand wetin dey happun around am. Di young man dey desperate for im freedom and e hope say soon im name go appear on one list of prisoners for exchange, so e fit go back to Russia.
But Yatsenko, from di PoWs coordination cetre, see little chance for prisoner swaps. So far, accordding to Yatsenko, Ghanana di only African kontri wey don interest in returning dia citisens wey dey PoWs camp - as representatives don visit di camps and negotiation dey go on,
“At di moment, Africans no dey involved for these exchanges. Dem want make dem exchange dem go Russia becos dem wan collect dia money. But no movement from Russian side to take dem back.”
Petro Yatsenko
Tok-tok pesin for Ukraine Co-ordination headquarters for di Treatment of Prisoners of War
I also interview Ukraine Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, wey see African recuits as victims of "illegal Russian activities and propaganda".
"Sometimes, dem dey invite dem come study for Russia and di next thing dem don dey battlefield," e tell me.
Di minister say foreigners fit fight for di Ukrainian army tii - but dem no gree becos, unlike Russia, Ukraine process of joining di military dey legal, voluntary and transparent. E no get figures or information on di foreighers wey dey involved.
But di reality na say di African PoWs we meet wan go back Russia - and dat fit no happun until di end of di war.
For Beverly, no be just about di money - im daughter dey there and if e go Congo straight, e say, im no go fit go back Russia.
Kanu insist say im future no dey West Africa again: "I sign contract for Russia. And I wan go back Russia. Life for Russia beta pass my life for Sierra Leone."
Afta we comot Ukraine, we go Freetown to meet Kanu 19-year-old daughter Elsie.
She stand outside di family house - one humble, ragged structure wey dem use corrugated iron sheets and scrap metal for di hills of Tengbeh town construct. She say she miss her papa well-well but agree wit am say make e just wait and return to Russia.
“Coming back to Sierra Leone no go solve any of di issues wey carry am go in di first place. I tink e get beta chance for Russua - beta chance to make money, to build sometin and change our lives.”
Elsie Kanu, 19
Di returnee
Many pipo no dey make am back home. But Duncan Chege, one Kenyan, did. E escape from di hospital wia dem admit am afta e fake mental sickness as e dey di Russian army.
For Chege, di promise of beta income dey decisive. Afta e fail to get work for Dubai sake of visa wahala, im employment agency advise am to try Russia instead, and e get visa under one week.
Photos courtesy of Duncan Chege
To finance di journey, im mama collect loans from neighbours and relatives, wey cover agent fee and one-way ticket.
Duncan Chege
Yet, di question of wetin be di next tin for dis African prisoners of war no dey clear at all.
CREDITS
Author: Sammy Awami, Reporting from western Ukraine
Video journalist: Hassan Lali
Design and layout: Millie Wachira
Cover concept: Mayowa Alabi
Illustrations: George Wafula
Still fotos: Ukraine (Getty Images), Sierra Leone (Sammy Awami) and Kenya (Hassan Ali)
Text editor: Lucy Fleming and Victor Oluoch
Producer and video editor: Kathy Harcombe
Page editor: Dorothy Otieno
Additional support: Shalom Olatunji, Brian Osweta, Njoroge Muigai, Boaz Ochieng
Publication date: 8 June 2026
