Equatorial Guinea youth warns of Russian recruitment trap

Daniel Angel Masie Nchama had no idea what he was getting into when Russian recruiters sent the young man from Equatorial Guinea into battle in war-ravaged Ukraine.

"I realised we were at the front when a missile struck us," he told AFP.

Now back home at his parents' modest house in the capital Malabo, the 22-year-old former IT student recalled the freezing cold, hunger, fear and finally, flight -- achieved with the help of his country's diplomatic efforts.

Dreaming of finding a life abroad, he was convinced by a Cameroonian named "Fabrice" to head to Russia.

He left in December 2025, believing he was going to undergo military training, with the promise of work as a bodyguard.

On arrival, he and the other prospective recruits were asked to sign documents in Russian, a language none of them spoke.

"We said we couldn't sign documents we didn't understand. They insisted, saying it was too late to translate them," Nchama said.

When he took out his phone to try to translate them, a Russian soldier placed his weapon on the table.

"It was a threat. So we had to sign," he said.

Their passports were then confiscated and never returned.

After two weeks of "basic training" -- instead of the eight months initially promised --  his group was transferred to Ukraine.

Another 45 days of intensive training followed, which ended with a late night departure in armoured vehicles towards the front line.

With him were "many Africans", including "another Equatorial Guinean, but also Cameroonians, Nigerians, Libyans and also Colombians", he said.

Ukraine estimates that nearly 1,800 Africans have been enlisted in the Russian forces.

In mid-February, the collective All Eyes on Wagner published the names of 1,417 Africans whom Moscow recruited between January 2023 and September 2025 to fight in Ukraine, more than 300 of whom have died.

Egyptians, Cameroonians and Ghanaians were reportedly the most numerous among the African contingent.

"I realised we were on the front lines when a missile struck our vehicle and killed two of my comrades," Nchama said.

Nchama was initially assigned to a battalion of 424 soldiers in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, all of whom were killed within two weeks. Nchama claims to be the sole survivor.

He was then assigned to another battalion, which he led, in Volnovakha, in the Donetsk Oblast region, for one month and nine days.

"Our mission was to capture six Ukrainian villages. Of the 566 recruits, only three of us were left by the end," he said.

Moscow has suffered the heaviest military losses in the war, with 400,000 to 450,000 deaths among its troops since February 2022, according to a study published in early July by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Nchama described extremely harsh living conditions characterised by cold and hunger, including one nine-day period without any food.

"We killed a deer and ate it raw -- that's how hungry we were," he said.

"Everything was done under duress. If they told you, 'Do this', and you didn't do it, they could send someone to kill you."

In March, he alerted his parents to his plight and they brought the matter to the media's attention.

His story went viral on social media and caused a stir throughout the country.

The Equatorial Guinean government swiftly declared it would take "diplomatic steps" to secure his release.

He endured a gruelling 11 more days at the front with relentless Ukrainian drone attacks that were only paused due to unexpected snowfall.

Back in Murmansk, in the Russian Arctic, the military leadership decorated him and dangled the prospect of a fully-fledged position in the army as well as a Russian passport.

"They promised me a house, a car... I was going to be a Russian," Nchama said, showing off the three medals he received.

He eventually lied to his superiors to escape.

"I said I was going to spend the weekend at a friend's place -- I even made up a name.

"The Equatorial Guinean ambassador found me at the airport and took me to his home," Nchama said.

His father, while declaring himself the "happiest man in the world" on his son's return, now urges young people who want to head abroad, as well as their families, to be very careful chasing vague promises.

"These promises are death guaranteed," he said.