Human trafficking and grave human rights violations linked to the recruitment of non-Russian nationals, in particular from Africa, for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine

European Parliament resolution of 12 March 2026 on human trafficking and grave human rights violations linked to the recruitment of non-Russian nationals, in particular from Africa, for Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine (2026/2641(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas Russia is using deceptive recruitment tactics and coercion to recruit thousands of foreign nationals from different African states, and is also recruiting individuals from Cuba and South and Central Asia, to sustain its brutal, unprovoked, unjustified, illegal war of aggression against Ukraine;

B.whereas investigative reports and several African states have revealed recruitment networks that systematically target individuals from low-income areas, mainly through social media platforms, with false promises of employment, education or citizenship; whereas recruits are enticed to travel to Russia, deprived of their identity documents and forcibly conscripted under coercion or threats; whereas the case of Francis Ndung’u Ndarua, a Kenyan national fraudulently recruited and sent to the front in Ukraine, illustrates the extreme cruelty of these practices;

C.whereas the Russian authorities reportedly enable these recruitment schemes through state-linked companies, intermediaries, military structures and embassy officials;

D.whereas testimonies indicate that African recruits are made to do the most dangerous frontline duties, treated as expendable and subjected to racial abuse and discrimination;

E.whereas hundreds of African women have reportedly been deceived into working in drone-assembling factories in Russia under highly dangerous and exploitative conditions;

1.Strongly condemns the trafficking and coercive recruitment of foreign nationals into Russia’s military service and war-related labour exploitation; stresses that these practices are grave violations of e human rights and international humanitarian law and may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity;

2.Urges all states concerned to investigate and combat foreign nationals’ recruitment and hold accountable all those conducting, facilitating or promoting it, to enhance vigilance among immigration officers, to proactively warn citizens of the dangers of travelling to Russia for alleged job or education offers and to facilitate the immediate repatriation of fraudulently recruited foreign nationals;

3.Calls on social media platforms to meet their human rights responsibilities and cooperate with relevant authorities in identifying and removing content used by deceptive Russia-linked recruitment and human trafficking networks; calls on states to hold these platforms accountable;

4.Underscores that the growing use of deceptive recruitment tactics coincides with Russia’s expanding influence in African states, including through private military companies and information manipulation campaigns;

5.Demands that Russia immediately cease such recruitment practices and guarantee the unconditional repatriation of fraudulently recruited individuals; holds the Russian authorities responsible for creating and enabling these schemes;

6.Draws attention to the case of Francis Ndung’u Ndarua; calls for his repatriation; urges Russia to inform his relatives of his whereabouts and health condition;

7.Calls for the EU and its Member States to engage with the states concerned and support their efforts to tackle human trafficking and facilitate victims’ release and repatriation; calls for the EU and its Member States to impose targeted sanctions on the individuals and entities responsible;

8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Member States, the African Union, the UN General Assembly and the Russian and Ukrainian authorities.