More than 20 people have been rescued in Kenya from a suspected human trafficking ring that lured them with job offers in Russia but intended to send them to fight in Ukraine, police said.
It follows an intelligence-led raid on a residential apartment on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, where officers seized recruitment materials, travel documents, and job offer letters.
One suspect, accused of coordinating the victims’ travel to Russia in September and October, has been arrested.
He was taken to court, which allowed him to be detained for 10 days while the police complete their investigations.
There have been growing concerns over the rising number of Kenyans being trafficked abroad under false job promises.
A young Kenyan athlete was recently captured in Ukraine, saying he was tricked into joining the Russian army.
Authorities said Wednesday’s arrest followed a coordinated multi-agency security operation targeting the criminal network, which has been extorting huge sums from desperate Kenyan job seekers.
A total of 22 Kenyans were found in an apartment in Athi River area, “awaiting processing to Russia”.
Police said the “mysterious trafficking syndicate” was luring Kenyans with job offers in Moscow, only to send them to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine.
Detectives said the victims revealed they had signed contracts with an unnamed overseas employment agency, committing to pay up to $18,000 (£13,000) for visas, travel, accommodation, and other logistics.
Some of the victims also indicated that they had already paid deposits of $1,500.
Once recruited, police said many return home injured, traumatised, or in some cases, never make it back.
Two Kenyans are reported to have recently returned, with one currently admitted to a city hospital.
A senior foreign ministry official recently said the Kenyan government was following up reports of several Kenyan nationals who had allegedly been trafficked to Russia and were now being held as prisoners of war in Ukraine.
Citizens of Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka , among others, are currently held in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps, Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine’s spokesperson on the treatment of prisoners of war, recently told the BBC.
However, speaking about other prisoners-of-war, he added that “most African states show little interest in the return of such citizens and do not wish to take them back”.