‘I Was Forced’: Kenyan Tourist Shares Experience of Being Drafted into Russian Military

Ukrainian forces captured a Kenyan national fighting for Russia near Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast on Sept. 17, the Ukrainian military said. The man, who gave his name as Evans, says he traveled to Russia as a tourist and was tricked into military service.

Evans said he spent two weeks sightseeing before his host — who had promised visa help — presented Russian-language papers for him to sign. After he signed, the host confiscated his passport and phone. Strangers then drove him for seven hours to a military camp, he recalled, where he was told he had no choice: “You either serve or get killed.”

He received only a week of basic training amid chaotic conditions and later met other foreigners who had similarly been coerced. Evans said he was eventually abandoned in a forest, removed his uniform and wandered for two days until he reached a Ukrainian position. Ukrainian soldiers detained him, provided food and water, and treated him humanely, he said.

A single father and longtime athlete, Evans pleaded to return home to his 16-year-old daughter, who is staying with his mother. “I’m not the enemy of Ukraine,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was signing. It messed my life.”