Putin's war against Ukraine now affecting humble Kenyan villages

 

Spells of silence amid conversation and a forlorn look on her face leave little doubt that she is living a nightmare.

Her husband, killed in a war not of his country, has left her to care for four children, all in the most delicate stages of life. The eldest, James Mutonga, 17, is on the cusp of adulthood, while the youngest, Favour Nyambura, four, still waits for her father to fulfil his promise of a bicycle. In her troubled gaze, one can read the immense burden she bears alone.

It was the second time she had come to The Standard Group, seeking as much information as possible about her husband, Martin Macharia, whose life was snuffed out in Russia’s war against Ukraine. In her own few words, this appeared to be the only place that could provide guidance on retrieving her husband’s body for burial.

Sources within Ukraine’s military, following our enquiries prompted by the family’s concerns, sent a brief response: “His body is somewhere in the ‘kill-zone’ on the Donetsk-Lyman direction. It is impossible to evacuate it due to continuous drone attacks from both sides.”

Grace Gathoni, pictured by The Standard sobbing on its front page on Tuesday after breaking the story of a Kenyan fighting for Russia killed in Ukraine, was accompanied by her sisters-in-law and lawyer Christopher Wainaina, totaling about six people.

From that alone, one can grasp how lost she must feel and how much support she requires. She stares at her phone without truly seeing it, tracing numbers some of which her husband had used to reach her from Russia. The contacts have gone silent, confirming what KTN and The Standard reported earlier in the week: Macharia was killed during an intense battle between Ukrainian forces and Russian troops. Among the casualties was a 37-year-old Nigerian, Stephen Udoka, whose pictures and personal details we obtained from our sources in Kyiv.

Family plea

“We need proof of his death to process a death certificate through authorities here. Any information or contacts to reach Ukraine and Russia will be of great help,” Wainaina, speaking for the family, says.

He has become the family’s voice due to the delicate legal issues surrounding a Kenyan deceived into joining a war, which authorities in Kenya had little knowledge of. Even last Monday, the chairman of the National Employment Authority (NEA), Vincent Kigen, remarked that the authority was working closely with other State security agencies to track down and shut illegal job agencies—an effort that has come too late for some.

Kigen explained that the operation involves the police, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and other multi-agency teams.

“They have nowhere to hide. We have closed shop for many of them. The clean-up aims to protect thousands of Kenyans seeking opportunities abroad,” he said.

Gathoni and her four children are among numerous Kenyan families directly affected by decisions made 8,800 kilometres away in Moscow by President Vladimir Putin, whose invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

When Putin declared the war, which he has consistently described as an operation, he may not have anticipated the challenges, including Ukrainian resistance that has cost millions of lives since 2022.

According to international military and security analysts, this led Putin to sign a decree opening his military to foreign recruits. Brigadier Dmytro Usov, Secretary of Ukraine’s Prisoners of War Department, said Russia today has 18,000 foreign soldiers serving it—a number larger than the entire armies of some European nations, including Austria and Croatia.

That decision has affected countries across the Global South, from Nepal to India, South Africa, Cuba, South America, and now Kenya, touching villages from Kiambu and Murang’a to Malaba in Busia County.

The Standard has learned that upon arrival in Russia and finding himself on the frontlines in Ukraine, Macharia spent his short remaining time updating his family on the dangers he faced and pleading for help to return home.

A cry for help

In one WhatsApp message to his sister, Salome Njeri, Macharia wrote: “Hi sis, opes mko poa. Sisi bado wanaendelea kutuhamishahamisha huku. Ukraine tafadhali tuombeeni sana.” His sister responded: “Tuko process yenyu kurudi huku…. Am happy to hear from you bro, I was worried about you. But thank God I have heard from you.” 

Macharia’s family shared with The Sunday Standard a letter he sent to the Kenyan mission in Moscow, pleading for embassy intervention to save him from the war frontlines. It reads: “My name is Martin Macharia Mburu, a Kenyan citizen, holder of Passport No. CK160075, born on 28 Aug 1987. I am writing to seek the urgent assistance and intervention of the Kenyan Embassy in Russia concerning my current situation.”

He explains that he travelled to Russia through a recruitment arrangement facilitated by a Russian Military Personnel Agency, represented by Alexander Loskutov whose contact he gives as ([phone]. In Kenya, the agency’s representative was Nikolay Vitalievich Nicolat (Passport No. 671342679, contact [phone]). Macharia attached a copy of his passport to the letter.

“According to the contract,” writes Macharia, “I was offered before my departure, the type of work I was to perform was in security services, cooking, or driving. However, upon arrival, I discovered that the actual assignment involved being issued a firearm and deployed toward the warfront in Ukraine, which was not stated in my contract and not the kind of work I agreed to undertake”

In the letter, Macharia emphasises that he had no military or police background and did not travel to Russia to participate in armed conflict.

“I am extremely worried for my safety and well-being, as I find myself in a situation I neither consented to nor I'm qualified for. I therefore humbly request the urgent intervention of the Kenyan Embassy to verify my current situation and employment status, provide consular protection and assistance, and facilitate my safe return home to Kenya.”

Not isolated case

As Gathoni navigates the uncertainty that has entrapped her, and the fact that her husband had a disturbing premonition of his imminent death in a cold, distant land thousands of miles from their home; in Ikapolok, Teso Subcounty, Busia, neighbours have joined Milcah Wangila, who has been worried for the past five months about her husband’s whereabouts.

Oscar Mutoka, a former Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier, travelled to Russia for a role he understood—that of serving in the military. Unlike Macharia, he had prior army experience, and despite being recruited through deceptive means by an agency in Nairobi, he persevered upon arriving in Moscow at the end of June this year. He even contacted his wife to inform her of his new role, after keeping her in the dark when he left his village for Nairobi.

Upon arrival in Russia, Mutoka sent a video call confirming his safety. Together with colleagues who had travelled with him, he was headed on a two-day train journey to Rostov Military Camp for training. The camp is known for combat skills, including grenades and rifles, and for training children as young as eight as part of Russia’s youth militarisation programme.

"We are in St Petersburg, travelling to Rostov by train. That's a two-day journey by train," read another SMS sent to her by Khagola on July 6 2025 at 3:41 pm.

"He assured me that the place was very safe," Milcah told The Sunday Standard, clinging to that last shred of confidence he offered. Their communication continued for two weeks. On  July 16, their messages ceased, and Milcah has not heard from her husband for five months.

When The Standard broke the story of Martin Macharia’s death on the frontlines in Ukraine, Milcah contacted our journalists to share her story. She now lives in uncertainty and longing, not knowing who to contact for information about him.

In Murang’a, the family of Joseph Kimani has experienced a similar ordeal, unsure whom to approach regarding their missing son, Peter Kimemia, who, according to information pieced together, travelled to Russia at the same time as Macharia.

Both were deceived into joining the Russian army and may have served in the same unit on the frontline until Macharia was reported killed, while information about Kimemia remains elusive.

The Murang’a family lost communication with Kimemia at the same time Macharia’s family did and have remained silent since. Last week, The Standard approached Kimemia’s father, Mr Kimani, to ask if he had any updates.

"We are not ready to talk about that right now. When I am ready, I will contact you," said Mr Kimemia.

The Standard has now obtained letters shared between Russia’s Military Service Recruitment Department and Moscow’s secret intelligence service, the FSB, confirming that Macharia and Kimemia arrived in Russia on the same day. The letter, in Russian, has been translated.

"We hereby inform you that in October of this year, the following foreign citizens of the Republic of Kenya are scheduled to arrive at the military service section point (2nd category) in Vladimir (Vladimir, 1st Pionerskaya St 92) to sign a contract for military service."

The letter lists Kamanu Peter Kimemia, born May 30 1999, and Mburu Martin Macharia, born 28 August 1987. It states that their arrival date is October 22, 2025 via flight No G9805. The contact person is Danilov Vyacheslav Vitalievich. Two other individuals accompanied Danilov to meet the two Kenyans.