Russia confirms 16 Cameroonian soldiers killed in Ukraine war

Russia confirmed that 16 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed while fighting in its four-year war against Ukraine, according to the West African country. The Foreign Ministry of Cameroon called on the families of the dead to make contact with officials in the capital city of Yaounde late on Monday. A Cameroonian diplomatic note, dated Monday, referred to the deceased as "military contractors of Cameroonian nationality" operating in a special military operation zone.

The statement and the diplomatic note did not specify how the 16 men ended up fighting for Russia, nor did they provide details on the location, timing and circumstances of their deaths. In March 2025, Cameroon's defence minister expressed concern that soldiers were leaving the country to join the war in Ukraine and instructed commanding officers to closely monitor their units. Cameroon has said it does not officially deploy troops abroad outside of international or regional mandates, and has warned citizens against taking part in foreign conflicts.

Ukraine said in February that more than 1,700 Africans were fighting for Russia. Two Nigerians were killed late last year while fighting for Russia, according to Ukraine's intelligence agency this month. An intelligence report presented to Kenya's parliament earlier this year said that 1,000 Kenyans were recruited to fight for Russia after being misled with false promises of jobs. At least 202 Indian nationals have been recruited into the Russian army, with at least 26 killed, according to India's Foreign Ministry. Russia agreed in August 2024 to release all Indian nationals from its army and confirmed that recruitment of Indian nationals has ceased, following demands by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. South Korea's National Intelligence Service reports that **11,000-15,00