Over 100 Ugandans disappear on Ukraine war frontline

What the report says

The Observer reports that families in Uganda say more than 100 Ugandans who travelled to Russia after being promised well-paid driving work have gone missing or been sent to the Russia-Ukraine frontline. The account centres on Kenneth Kakuru of Kawuku, Entebbe, who left Uganda on November 23, 2025, expecting a $6,000-a-month job. His wife, Anthens Ankunda, told the newspaper he travelled by bus to Juba, then flew through Istanbul to Moscow with other Ugandans, many of them former private security workers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.

According to the families interviewed, the men later reported that they had been taken to military facilities, given contracts in Russian and put through military training rather than civilian driving work. Ankunda said Kakuru last communicated with her in February and had asked her to open a bank account for wages that never arrived. Other women, including Caroline Mukiza of Nansana and Miriam Musisi of Migadde, gave similar accounts of husbands leaving for alleged work opportunities and then disappearing, with their households left without primary earners.

The Observer also reports claims that recruiters changed travel routes after an earlier group was intercepted at Entebbe International Airport, with later recruits moving through neighbouring countries such as South Sudan. Innocent Kato, Kakuru’s twin brother, said relatives of more than 90 missing Ugandans have sought help from government offices.

The newspaper says Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Vincent Bagiire wrote to Uganda’s ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, asking him to investigate allegations about recruitment of Ugandans and report back within seven days. The reported cases matter because they raise concerns about possible deception, trafficking-style recruitment and the vulnerability of unemployed former security workers seeking overseas jobs.