Ukraine discovers bodies of two Kenyans fighting in Russian army

By Newsflash Writer

Ukraine has said it has discovered the bodies of two Kenyan citizens in the area of Lyman, Donetsk region, who had been recruited by Russia to fight in its war against Ukraine.

The deceased have been identified as Ombwori Denis Bagaka (born January 30, 1987) and Wahome Simon Gititu (born May 21, 1991).

Bagaka and Gititu are aged 39 and 35 respectively.

Their remains were found near another Kenyan mercenary, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, whose death had earlier drawn significant attention after Ukrainian authorities published details of his elimination.

According to Ukrainian intelligence agency – Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense – all three Kenyans were recruited in Qatar, where they were employed in security companies earning stable incomes, before choosing to join Russia’s war effort in exchange for promises of quick, high payments.

Recruited in Russia and sent to the front

Bagaka and Mogesa arrived in Yaroslavl, Russia, on September 27, 2025, to join a contract recruitment center.

Gititu joined them on October 28. A Kyrgyz citizen, Salizhan Uulu Almambet, played a key role in their recruitment, acting as a trusted intermediary. He signed contracts with the Russian army on behalf of the three Kenyans and gained control over their bank accounts.

From Yaroslavl, the recruits were sent to the “Pogonovo” training ground near Voronezh (military unit No. 11097), a facility used for accelerated military training and direct deployment to combat units.

At Pogonovo, a penal battalion (“shtrafbat”) was formed, consisting of prisoners, captured deserters, chronic alcoholics, drug addicts, and foreign mercenaries. Ukrainian intelligence reports indicate that this battalion is routinely used for “one-way” combat missions, placing its personnel at extreme risk.

After a short training period, Bagaka, Gititu, and Mogesa were deployed to storm the city of Lyman. According to Ukrainian authorities, all three were killed during their first engagement. Russian commanders reportedly did not provide any support or extraction for the mercenaries, leaving them effectively abandoned on the battlefield.

Mercenaries treated as expendable resources

The deaths of the three Kenyans highlight what Ukrainian intelligence describes as Russia’s treatment of foreign recruits as expendable human resources. Officials in Moscow reportedly use foreign mercenaries in the most dangerous assaults while profiting from financial arrangements connected to their deaths. Ukrainian authorities note that quick elimination of mercenaries allows recruiters and officers to divert the recruits’ wages or “death benefits” for personal gain.

Ukraine has warned foreign citizens against traveling to Russia or working in any capacity within its territory, stressing that recruitment into Russia’s army carries a high likelihood of being sent to a suicide assault unit and dying on Ukrainian soil.

This comes barely a day after a Kenyan family in Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri County, conducted a burial for their son, Charles Wangari, on Thursday, February 5, without his remains, after he was killed in the Russian war with Ukraine last year.

His body could not be retrieved.

The Kenyan government continues to say that it is cooperating with both the Ukrainian and Russian governmentsto repatriate all Kenyans trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war.