Russia confirms 16 Cameroonian soldiers killed in Ukraine war

Russia has confirmed that 16 Cameroonian soldiers have been killed while fighting in its four-year war against Ukraine, according to the West African country.

In a statement broadcast on state media late on Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Cameroon called on the families of the dead to make contact with officials in the capital city of Yaounde.

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It was the first time that Cameroon had discussed the involvement of its nationals in the Russia-Ukraine war. Moscow has pulled foreigners from numerous nations into its invasion forces over the course of the war.

A Cameroonian diplomatic note, dated Monday and seen by the Reuters news agency, referred to the deceased as “military contractors of Cameroonian nationality” operating in a special military operation zone, the term Russia uses to describe Ukraine since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Neither the statement nor the diplomatic note specified how the 16 men ended up fighting for Russia, nor did they provide details on the location, timing and circumstances of their deaths.

In an internal memo issued in March 2025 and seen by Reuters, 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, though analysts say the true figure is likely higher.

Furthermore, several African countries have said some of their citizens have been tricked into fighting for Russia by offers of lucrative jobs or skills training.

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 in the country before being sent to the front lines.

Two Nigerians were killed late last year while fighting for Russia, Ukraine’s intelligence agency said this month.

Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.

Young men from South Asia have also joined the Russian army in its war against Ukraine after they were promised lucrative salaries and benefits.

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 11,000-15,000 North Korean troops were deployed to Russia, with roughly 6,000 killed or wounded, earlier in the conflict.