Russian Embassy Denies Report Of Nigerian Students Being Conscripted Into War Against Ukraine

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied reports of forced recruitment of Nigerian students in Russia into the Russian military before their visas are renewed.

Responding to a Monday Bloomberg report detailing how Russia is allegedly forcing African students to join the fight against Ukraine before receiving visa renewals, a report culled from a Nigerian news outlet, the Russian Embassy declared the report false.

According to Bloomberg, Russia is allegedly sending thousands of migrants and foreign students, including Nigerians, to fight alongside its troops in the Ukraine conflict in exchange for visa renewals.
A European official told Bloomberg that some Africans on work visas in Russia were detained and forced to choose between deportation and fighting.

The Nigerian government debunked the report on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that it was in contact with the Russian student population.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Russian Federation Embassy in Nigeria said it “has noticed with bewilderment the publication of articles on June 10 in several Nigerian media outlets.” These articles, citing the dubious American news agency “Bloomberg,” which has a history of spreading anti-Russian fake news, claimed that African students, particularly those from Nigeria, are being forced to fight for Russia in exchange for visa extensions.

“The Embassy of the Russian Federation is compelled to emphasise that such news is not only false, but also harms Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation by misleading numerous scholarship and grant applicants as well as their partners, who may be extremely concerned by such falsehoods.”

The Embassy stated that Nigerian students have no difficulty extending their visas while studying in Russia.

According to the Embassy, “numerous associations of Nigerian students in Russia have not reported any issues in obtaining the necessary documentation to continue their stay in the country.”

The Embassy did, however, thank the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the association of Nigerian students in Moscow for their efforts in debunking the “fake news aimed at undermining the friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria”.