Zimbabwe’s police counterterrorism unit has arrested a 36-year-old man suspected of recruiting five people into the Russian army, according to a report by AFP, citing court materials.
Police said the man was detained at a bus station in the country’s capital city of Harare while accompanying one of the recruits, who was supposed to travel to Russia via South Africa. Law enforcement officials said the suspect was carrying Russian electronic visas and hotel booking confirmations for five people.
Police said the recruits would be “forced to take part in the armed conflict” between Russia and Ukraine. Authorities identified the detained man’s alleged accomplice as a Russian citizen known only as Roman. He is wanted by police.
In March, Zimbabwean Information Minister Jenfan Muswere said 15 Zimbabwean citizens had died after being recruited to fight in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. He said Zimbabwean authorities were seeking the return of 66 of its citizens.
In February, the research collective All Eyes on Wagner published the names of 1,417 citizens from 35 African countries who had been recruited for the war in Ukraine between January 2023 and September 2025. Of those, 316 had been killed. Earlier this year, Ukrainian authorities said they had identified more than 1,780 citizens of 36 African countries who had fought in the Russian army.
