俄招募非洲士兵赴乌前线充当炮灰

The capital city of Kiev observed a day of mourning today after a deadly barrage of Russian drones and missiles killed at least 30 people overnight Wednesday and on the front lines there is no letup in the bloodletting. By some estimates, Russia has taken 1.5 million casualties, including a half a million killed since the war began. Now, as special correspondent Simon Ostrovsky reports, with Russia running out of recruits, it's bringing in mercenaries from far away, and a warning some images in this story are disturbing What the non-Russian piece of this is the treatment awaiting African troops recruited to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine, beatings, electrocution, and worse.

Lured to Russia with promises of employment have to sign up bonuses and citizenship instead thrown to the front line as disposable manpower deployed as human bait. Look how many disposables. They're even singing, so happy. Don't worry, they'll go on assault and they'll be singing a different tune. Brutality and corruption go hand in hand in Russia's military. Yet some of the estimated 4000 African fighters now serving in the Russian army are the special target of abuse from their commanders and fellow soldiers driven by racism and lawlessness within Moscow's army.

These are the comrades that have arrived You what What is your name? Ross. You charcoal, you'll be the can opener today. This is Francis Dungun Darua from Kenya. That's an anti-tank mine strapped to his chest. A soldier appears to be forcing him at gunpoint towards the front line on a suicide mission. Since the video appeared on Russian social media. His family in Kenya say they've not heard from him and his whereabouts are unknown.

It's a grim story and not unique since the start of the full scale invasion in 2022, Ukrainian authorities estimate that Russia has recruited 27,000 foreign nationals from 130 countries. Martin, 36 years, Kenya. An international fighting force larger than some standing armies in Europe. In an exclusive interview, Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Sabija told the Newshour Russia has stepped up its recruitment from Africa and other countries to compensate for poor battlefield performance and mounting casualties in case of death or disappearance, they are ideal soldiers.

Why? Because no public resonance, because if you lose your own soldier Russian soldier, you must pay. to the family of $50,000. They value them less than their own people as a youth, as in so called meat assaults unfortunately. What is a meat assault? So they use them on the most difficult directions on the battlefield. So it means that there are a period of their life is very short. Ukraine is keen to get the message out that fighters from Africa and around the world who plan to join Russia's war against Ukraine will be used as cannon fodder and are likely to die or be captured.

But at the same time, Russia trying to recruit this year more fighters from abroad than it ever has before. According to the Kiev