Russia using Africans as cannon fodder - as video emerges of solider with landmine strapped to chest
Footage shows African mercenaries being lured to the frontline with promises of hefty salaries, only to be sent on suicide missions
Russia has been accused of using Africans as cannon fodder in its battle against Ukraine - as video footage appears to show one solider with a landmine strapped to his chest.
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The clip, which emerged online, appears to show an African soldier being recruited and taunted by a Russian troop.
The device in the video is thought to be a TM-62 mine - a design often used as a powerful anti-tank explosive device.
The Russian soldier uses a racial slur and tells the recruit he is being used as a can opener. He can then be heard to say "he’s about to run – gonna be hopping through the woods."
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In the video, the African, who tells the man his name is Francis, is accused of being a "can opener."
The term refers to the process of sending the mercenaries towards Ukrainian troops in opposition territory, with the landmine attached to them detonating in a bid to "open" the Ukrainian bunker.
It comes amid claims that thousands of Africans are being lured into battle by Putin, as Moscow struggles to replace heavy casualties on the battlefield.
Kyiv’s ambassador to South Africa claimed that soldiers are unwittingly being sent out onto the frontline by Russia in its battle against Ukraine, with many under false pretences or with promises of hefty salaries.
There are also claims that thousands of Africans are being lured into battle by Putin, as Moscow struggles to replace heavy casualties on the battlefield.
Russians strapped an anti-tank mine to an African and turned him into a “kamikaze”.
— Serhii Sternenko ✙ (@sternenko) January 9, 2026
“You’re coal. Now you’ll run across the field. Go!” pic.twitter.com/R3V3MKtPJt
Kyiv’s ambassador to South Africa claimed that soldiers are unwittingly being sent out onto the frontline by Russia in its battle against Ukraine, with many under false pretences or with promises of hefty salaries.
Olexander Scherba told The Telegraph: "There might be all kinds of charm offensives on the African continent, but once an African person comes to this war, they just become meat for the meat grinder."
The footage flags harrowing Russian tactics, with Putin's forces using Africans as what's referred to as “can-openers” among Russian ranks.
The Kenyan government has now found at least 82 citizens caught up in the Ukraine war, according to The Telegraph.
In a separate video released this week by the Ukrainian military, a Ugandan prisoner of war said he had taken out a bank loan to travel to Russia after being promised a job in a supermarket.
Another, from Cameroon, told Ukrainian interrogators he travelled to Russia for a job in a shampoo factory.