African Recruits Allege Coercion in Russia’s Ukraine War (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: What is your name? Francis.

[00:00:02] Speaker 2: F**k this society. F**k you. This disturbing video appears to show an African recruit in the Russian army with a landmine strapped to his chest. He is being ordered to storm Ukrainian positions on the front lines.

[00:00:14] Speaker 1: I didn't see it. It's so traumatizing. Francis is my son.

[00:00:19] Speaker 2: Francis is among a growing number of African men fighting for Russia in Ukraine. I've spoken to about a dozen of them from Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria, who say they were forced into the Russian army and onto the front lines with barely any training. How long was the training?

[00:00:34] Speaker 1: Three weeks.

[00:00:35] Speaker 2: Many told me they were offered well-paying civilian jobs like drivers or electricians, and the money was good.

[00:00:42] Speaker 1: They are lying to people. The money that they tell people they pay, that is not true.

[00:00:46] Speaker 2: Most of the African fighters in Ukraine told me they are desperate to escape, but there's no way out. They feel trapped in a war with countless casualties and even racism from their Russian commanders. You need to escape or you die. There's only two ways.