The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied allegations that Nigerian students are being forced to join the Russian military as a condition for visa renewal. The embassy rebutted a Bloomberg report claiming that Russia is coercing Nigerian students and other migrants to fight in Ukraine as part of a visa renewal arrangement.
The Russian government dismissed these allegations as false and damaging to the educational relationship between Russia and Nigeria. The embassy assured that Nigerian students can renew their visas without being required to serve in the military, and no Nigerian student associations have reported any issues with visa documentation.
The embassy also thanked the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Association of Nigerian Students in Moscow for their efforts in dispelling misinformation that could harm bilateral relations between Russia and Nigeria.
Additionally, an EU official noted that Russia has detained Africans with work visas, giving them the option of deportation or military service. Some individuals have reportedly paid bribes to avoid conscription. This pressure on immigrants and students to join the military has been ongoing since the conflict began, with high casualty rates among these conscripts.
In 2023, the Wagner mercenary group recruited African citizens from Russian prisons for its forces in Ukraine. Yevgeny Primakov, head of Rossotrudnichestvo, mentioned that there are between 35,000 and 37,000 African students in Russia, with around 6,500 enrolling annually for free studies.