By Kateryna Zakharchenko

Copyright kyivpost

Kenyan authorities have detained a Russian embassy employee accused of recruiting local men as mercenaries for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian project “I Want to Live” [Хочу жить], a Kyiv-backed initiative facilitating the surrender of Russian and Belarusian troops.

The group said that police in Nairobi arrested Mikhail Lyapin, a Russian working under diplomatic cover, who allegedly played a key role in persuading Kenyan nationals to travel abroad with promises of lucrative jobs. Once in Russia, recruits were reportedly pressured into signing contracts with the Russian military and deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.

Police also arrested Edward Kamau Gitaku, a Kenyan described as a coordinator who helped funnel recruits toward the Russian armed forces. Investigators are now questioning at least 21 Kenyans believed to have been recruited.

Authorities said Lyapin tried to flee the country after learning he was wanted but was caught before being able to leave.

The allegations follow the case of Kibet Evans, a Kenyan man captured by Ukrainian forces earlier this year. Evans said he had initially traveled to Russia for sports competitions but was coerced into joining the military when his visa expired.

Recruiters reportedly offered him a visa extension in exchange for what they described as a “well-paid job,” which turned out to be frontline service as a stormtrooper in the Russian army’s so-called “69th Division.”

Since the spring, “I Want to Live” says it has documented more than 10,000 foreign mercenaries from dozens of countries recruited by Russian networks.

“Russia is a paper tiger,” the project said in a statement. “It retreats when it is met with resistance. That is why every country must counter these illegal practices, which exploit men seeking work and send them to die in senseless assaults.”