Deceived, Deployed, Killed: Four Nigerians Lured To Russia Die On Ukraine Battlefield

At least four Nigerians recruited under the guise of a “security job” have been killed while fighting for Russia in the ongoing war in Ukraine, sources familiar with the matter have told DAILY NIGERIAN.

The deceased were identified as Adam Anas, Akinlawon Tunde Quyuum, Abugu Stanley Onyeka, and Balogun Ridwan Adisa. They were allegedly deceived by recruiters who promised legitimate security work abroad but instead conscripted them into the Russian military after barely three weeks of training and deployed them to the frontlines.

Messrs Anas, Quyuum, Onyeka, and Abubakar Adamu—the lone survivor—travelled together to Russia in November 2025, while Mr Adisa was recruited and sent earlier in the year, according to sources.

Investigations by DAILY NIGERIAN reveal that the Russian Embassy in Abuja, allegedly acting in concert with a Nigerian recruiting agent, issued the men single-entry tourist visas without biometric capture or compliance with standard application procedures.
This occurred despite the Russian Embassy’s official advisory warning applicants that visa submissions must be made in person and that “reliance on a third party may incur a visa denial.”

Contrary to this guideline, the Nigerians were granted visas without appearing in person at the embassy.
The recruits were reportedly enticed with promises of a monthly salary of 200,000 rubles—about N3.6 million—along with allowances and other benefits, offers that ultimately led them into a deadly conflict far from home.