Source: Another Zimbabwean killed in Russia-Ukraine war -Newsday Zimbabwe
ANOTHER Zimbabwean has been killed in the Russia-Ukraine war, deepening fears that Russian recruiters are tightening their grip on vulnerable Africans as the conflict drags on.
This comes just weeks after the killing of Mandla Ncube, whose family is still reeling from news that he died on the battlefield when he reportedly travelled to Russia in search of work opportunities.
Fresh revelations contained in a new investigative report show that Zimbabwean nationals are among more than a thousand Africans drawn into the war.
A report titled The Business of Despair, released on February 11, 2026 by All Eyes on Wagner (AEOW), a French open-source intelligence project now incorporated into Swiss NGO INPACT, lays bare what it describes as a systematic recruitment drive targeting economically-vulnerable African men.
According to the report, AEOW obtained and verified a database containing the names of 1 417 African nationals recruited to the Russian army.
Of those, 316 have already been killed in action.
“Through open-source corroboration, AEOW assessed that the dataset they had obtained was legitimate and that 1 417 individuals had been recruited, of which 316 were killed in action,” the report states.
Six Zimbabwean nationals are listed in the database.
NewsDay has gathered that one of them, Chivise Bryan-Bright (born 03/11/1991), was also killed.
The report indicates that recruitment has steadily increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 177 Africans recruited in 2023, 592 in 2024 and 647 in 2025.
The average age of recruits is 31.
Of the 316 confirmed deaths, the average duration of service was only six months, with 51 killed after just one month on the frontlines.
Zipra liberation war hero Mayibongwe Mkandla said the trend was troubling.
“To see young men leaving because there are no jobs and ending up fighting someone else’s war is painful,” he said.
“War is not a contract you cancel when things go wrong.
“Once you are there, you are at the mercy of forces beyond you.”
Opposition Nationalist Alliance Party (NAP) leader Devine Mhambi Hove said the situation was deeply stressful and of the highest concern.
“The reports surfacing are not just diplomatic ‘incidents’ they are a profound tragedy for the Zimbabwean family,” Hove said.
The NAP leader said the Zimbabwean government should take an active role in identifying and returning all Zimbabweans trapped in combat zones.
“We call on the government to break its silence, issue immediate travel warnings and work with international bodies to bring our children home.”
Local activist and academic Melusi Nyathi said the government’s silence was worrying.
“To make matters worse, our neighbours South Africa have taken a bold stance and called out Russia, leading to a number of victims being released,” Nyathi said.
Repeated efforts to obtain a comment from the Foreign Affairs ministry regarding whether investigations are underway or public warnings will be issued were fruitless.
The Business of Despair report warned that without stronger monitoring and public awareness, more Africans — including Zimbabweans —can find themselves drawn into a war far from home.
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