How Kenyan father’s search for work ended in captivity on Ukraine battlefield
A Kenyan electrician named Francis Ndarua was recruited under the guise of a security job in Russia, only to find himself serving as a prisoner of war in Ukraine. The incident highlights the dangers of deceptive international recruitment practices during the ongoing conflict.
Why it matters
The story sheds light on the human cost of the Russia-Ukraine war and the exploitation of foreign workers in conflict zones.
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Francis Ndarua, a Kenyan Prisoner of War in Ukraine during a previous interview/SCREENGRAB
A Kenyan electrician who travelled to Russia in search of work says he never expected the journey to end with him becoming a prisoner of war in Ukraine.
Francis Ndarua, 35, says he was struggling to support his wife and child when a former university colleague approached him in July 2025 with an offer that appeared to provide a way out of unemployment.
The opportunity was presented as a security job in Russia.
“I said if there’s such an opportunity I will gladly go because I have a wife a child to feed,” Ndaru said.
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