Arya News - The mother of a Kenyan man who was duped into fighting for Russia and sent to the Ukraine front line as a human bomb has said it is too “traumatising” to watch video footage of her son.
The mother of a Kenyan man who was duped into fighting for Russia and sent to the Ukraine front line as a human bomb has said it is too “traumatising” to watch video footage of her son.
Francis Ndung’u Ndarua, 35, was filmed in Russian uniform with a landmine strapped to his chest and ordered to run through no man’s land as a suicide bomber to target Ukrainian fortifications.
His mother, Anne, said she did not know where her only son was and urged the Kenyan and Russian governments to “bring those children home”.
In the video, which was widely shared on social media , Mr Ndung’u Ndarua is asked to say his name then pushed in the dark along a corridor at gunpoint as he raises his arms to defend himself.
The Russian speaker hurls racist insults at him and kicks him, saying he will be used as a “can opener” to breach Ukrainian army positions.
Credit: CNN
Mrs Ndarua told CNN : “I didn’t see it. It is too traumatising. I don’t know where he is. I was told he’s in Ukraine, but I don’t know specifically whether he’s there or not.
“I’m appealing to the Kenyan and Russian governments to work together to bring those children home. They lied to them about real jobs and now they’re in war with their lives in danger.”
In December, she was sent a video of her son warning other Africans not to travel to Russia for job offers, telling them they would be taken to the military and the front line .
He said: “There are true killings. Many friends have died in the name of money.”
Francis Ndung’u Ndarua with a landmine strapped to his body. He was sent towards the front line as a ‘can opener’
Mr Ndung’u Ndarua, a trained engineer, was unemployed and living with his mother on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital when he paid $620 (about £460) to an agent to facilitate his move to Russia.
But his mother said she was surprised to find out he had been forced into military training when he arrived, and deployed to Ukraine just three weeks later.
Olexander Scherba, Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa, recently told The Telegraph that Russia was using Africans as “meat for the meat grinder” by tricking them into joining the war .
Francis Ndung’u Ndarua before he was tricked into joining then Russian army in Ukraine
A growing number of Africans are travelling to Russia, lured with promises of money and employment opportunities , only to find out when they arrive they will join the military and replace heavy casualties in Moscow’s own ranks.
Other footage has emerged showing Russians mocking African soldiers. One video allegedly shows a group of new African mercenaries in a snow-covered forest singing songs in their own language.
The Russian soldier filming says: “Look how many disposables there are” and laughingly adds that “they will be singing differently” once they are deployed to the front.
b"
"
Try full access to The Telegraph free today. Unlock their award-winning website and essential news app, plus useful tools and expert guides for your money, health and holidays.