The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has firmly denied allegations that Nigerian students in Russia are being coerced into joining the military to support Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

This denial comes in response to a Bloomberg report claiming that Russia has been pressuring African students to enlist in its armed forces as a condition for visa renewal. According to the news agency, Moscow is allegedly recruiting thousands of migrants and foreign students, including Nigerians, to strengthen its military efforts in Ukraine.

Citing a European official, Bloomberg stated that some Africans in Russia on work visas were being detained and coerced into choosing between deportation or military service. In response, the Russian Embassy in Nigeria denied the claims, describing them as false and detrimental to Russian-Nigerian relations.

"The Embassy of the Russian Federation is compelled to emphasise that such news is not only false but also damages Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation by misleading numerous scholarship and grant applicants as well as their partners, who could be extremely concerned by such fakes," the Embassy said, according to Nigerian media. 

The Nigerian government also responded, categorically denying that any Nigerian students were being coerced into joining the Russian military. 

This controversy comes amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent efforts to bolster military personnel numbers. The Kremlin is striving to maintain its military strength despite significant casualties in Ukraine and has offered citizenship to foreign nationals who sign up to fight for the Russian Army. According to the UK, over 465,000 Russian personnel have been killed or wounded since the conflict began in February 2022.

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR) claims that Russia has intensified attempts to recruit Africans to fight in Ukraine, according to a tweet from the UK Ministry of Defence cited in its journal.

The update specifies that “these recruitment efforts focus on the central African countries of Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, and Uganda.” Russia is reportedly offering incentives including “a sign-up bonus of $2,000, monthly pay of $2,200, and the promise of a Russian passport.”