'They are dying': Families of Kenyans trapped in Russia's war plead for help

John Kariuki (right) and Rahab Muthoni (left), parents of missing ex-KDF soldier Samuel Maina, hold portraits of their 31-year-old son at their home in Kilimambogo, Kiambu County. [Gitau Wanyoike, Standard]

Nearly two weeks after the government promised to resolve the plight of Kenyans trapped in Russia’s war against Ukraine, families across the country cling to their phones, listening to desperate voice notes and viewing haunting photos of their sons in Russian military uniforms — unsure if they will ever return home alive.

The young men boarded planes filled with hope believing they had secured jobs abroad, only to find themselves trapped in a nightmare far from home; fighting in a war they never signed up for.  All of them left on tourist visas, lured by unscrupulous agencies and Russians — some of whom, The Standard has established, operated within Kenya’s borders, promising lucrative jobs in Russia.