Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
“They are being forced into active combat,” an official warned.
Looking for a job abroad sounds like a dream ticket to a better life.
Every year, thousands of hopeful applicants pack their bags for promised civilian contracts in foreign cities.
But sometimes, those glowing employment offers mask a terrifying trap.
A dangerous trap
The government of Botswana has warned its citizens. According to a Bloomberg report from July 18, fraud rings are tricking people into travelling overseas, only to push them onto the battlefields of Ukraine.
Scammers lure these job seekers with promises of normal, everyday civilian employment. The reality changes quickly upon arrival.
“Recent reports indicate that the number of Batswana being misled into such arrangements is rising at an alarming rate,” the Ministry of International Relations stated.
Victims do not know what awaits them until they land. Suddenly, they find themselves trapped in military operations.
Heartbreaking frontline calls
The official warning highlights the direct danger facing these trapped workers. “They are being forced into active combat,” the ministry explained.
Officials added that the government “continues to receive heartbreaking calls from Batswana already on the frontline, describing the perilous conditions they face.”
Botswana has not shared the exact number of its citizens trapped in the conflict. However, the government previously noted last December that recruiters had likely taken at least two young nationals.
Police in Kenya and South Africa have already arrested people for running similar military recruitment networks, showing the problem with fake Russian job offers is not confined to Botswana, according to the Bloomberg report.
A deadly frontline
The scale of the operation across the continent is staggering. According to United24 Media, a February report by the nonprofit group Inpact revealed that Russia recruited over 1,400 African nationals between January 2023 and September 2025.
Many do not make it back. The organization, which runs the All Eyes On Wagner program, confirmed at least 316 Africans have died in the fighting.
Moscow needs more men. Heavy losses in Ukraine have forced the Russian military to search beyond its own borders for fresh troops.
Life on the frontline is short. Russian military bloggers estimate that some new recruits survive for just 20 to 35 minutes under heavy drone attacks.
