Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate has confirmed the deaths of two Nigerian citizens who were killed while serving in the Russian military during the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
In a statement released Thursday, the intelligence agency identified the deceased as Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole, born April 3, 1983, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, born January 7, 1988. Both men died in late November during a drone strike in the Luhansk region as Russian forces attempted to storm Ukrainian positions.
According to the statement, titled “Nigerians in a meat assault — the number of identified dead Russian mercenaries from Africa is rising,” both men had recently joined the Russian military. They were serving in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division.
Kolawole signed his contract with the Russian army on August 29, 2025, while Udoka enlisted on September 28, 2025. The intelligence directorate reported that Udoka received virtually no military training and was sent to occupied Ukrainian territory just five days after signing his contract. Records indicate that Kolawole also likely received no formal military training. Kolawole is survived by his wife and three children in Nigeria.
“Both Nigerians were killed in late November during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. They never engaged in a firefight — the mercenaries were eliminated by a drone strike,” the statement noted.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence issued a stark warning to foreign nationals, stating: “A trip to Russia is a real risk of being forced into a ‘suicide’ assault unit and, ultimately, rotting in Ukrainian soil.”
The disclosure follows Russia’s denial of any state-sponsored recruitment of Nigerians for the war effort. Previous CNN investigations and video evidence have suggested that some Nigerians and other African nationals were lured to Russia with promises of security jobs, only to find themselves deployed to the battlefield after minimal training.
Russian Ambassador to Nigeria Andrey Podyolyshev has previously stated: “There is no government-supported programme to recruit Nigerians to fight in Ukraine. If there are illegal organisations or individuals trying to recruit Nigerians by unlawful means, this is not connected with the Russian state.”
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