Russia has been accused of strapping a landmine to an African mercenary’s chest and ordering him to run through no man’s land as a human bomb to target Ukrainian fortifications.
Widely shared video purporting to show preparation for the attack shows the black mercenary being marched through a trench at gunpoint and being ordered to storm Ukrainian positions.
A Russian uses racist insults, telling the recruit he is being used as a “can opener” to blow himself up to “open” an enemy bunker.
The video emerged as Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa told The Telegraph that Russia was using Africans as “meat for the meat grinder” by tricking them into joining the war in Ukraine.
Thousands of Africans are thought to have been lured to the front lines, either under false pretences or with promises of hefty salaries, in a Moscow operation to replace heavy casualties in its own ranks.
Another video, published on Sunday, 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.”
Laughing at the upbeat troops, he adds that “they will be singing differently” once they are deployed to the front.
Olexander Scherba, the Ukrainian ambassador to South Africa, told The Telegraph that a recent scandal, in which members of a South African political party with close ties to Moscow had been forced into combat, showed the Kremlin did not care about its allies.
In an interview at the Ukrainian embassy in Pretoria, Mr Scherba said: “There might be all kinds of charm offensives on the African continent, but once an African person comes to this war, they just become meat for the meat grinder.”
Mr Scherba added that the scandal showed Russia “looks at Africa through imperial eyes”.
Several African countries have recently warned against scams promising work and study opportunities in Russia that instead sent applicants to fight and die. Olexander Scherba, the Ukrainian ambassador to South Africa Olexander Scherba, the Ukrainian ambassador to South Africa, has described how Russia is tricking Africans into joining the war on Ukraine
South Africa has been captivated by the case of 17 men allegedly lured to Russia for bodyguard training by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of its disgraced former president, Jacob Zuma.
The men told reporters they thought they would then return to work in the protection unit of Mr Zuma’s Mkhonto Wesizwe (MK) party.
Instead, they were made to sign army contracts, sent to the front line and still remain there, despite the former president, who has close relations with Russia, pleading for Moscow to help them.
Ms Zuma-Sambudla insists that she thought the men were only undergoing non-combat paramilitary training.
The 43-year-old, who is an MP with her father’s party and has frequently spoken in support of Vladimir Putin, said she had been deceived and never intended to recruit anyone for combat or mercenary activity.
A letter purporting to be from Mr Zuma to Andrey Belousov, Russia’s defence minister, alleged the men had been “misled” and had signed contracts under “patently misleading circumstances”.
There is no suggestion that Mr Zuma was aware of, or involved in, any attempt to mislead the men.
Mr Scherba said: “The whole saga about Zuma’s family members, if the saga is true and it looks like that, is just evidence of how Russia in the end does not value Africans.
“Even those who are dedicated to Russia, even those who love Russia, in the end they still can wind up just as meat in the meat grinder.”
While poor Russians make up the majority of Putin’s forces, Ukraine has estimated as many as 1,400 Africans are serving on the front lines. Hundreds of others are thought to have died.
Some African recruits are thought to have known what they were getting into, while others were tricked with offers of jobs and scholarships. Fighting for a foreign army is illegal under South African law.
This year, Nairobi began investigating the trafficking of Kenyans to fight, after Ukrainian troops captured Evans Kibet, a long-distance runner who said he had been misled into going to Russia for an exhibition race.
The Kenyan government has now found at least 82 citizens caught up in the Ukraine war.
In a video released this week by the Ukrainian military, a Ugandan prisoner of war called Richard Akantoran said he had taken out a bank loan to travel to Russia after being promised a job in a supermarket.
Another typical story is the case of Richard Kanu, who served in Sierra Leone’s military for more than 10 years, before looking for work in St Petersburg.
He said he applied for a job by signing some Russian-language paperwork, but did not realise he had signed a contract to join the Russian army until he arrived at a base in Rostov-on-Don, just outside Ukraine. He is now a prisoner of war.
Jean Onana, from Cameroon, told Ukrainian interrogators he travelled to Russia for a job in a shampoo factory.
He had barely arrived in Moscow when he was detained along with 10 others from Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Ghana, and made to serve on the front line.
Mr Scherba also warned anyone swayed by offers of a hefty pay packet that they were unlikely to see any money.
He said there were “so many ways for Russians to trick you out of your money” and said life expectancy on the front line for new recruits was often only about 72 hours.
He said: “Just imagine how short the life expectancy for Africans is, because they care about foreigners much less than they care about their own citizens.
“Even if you survive this and even if there is any money at the end of it, it won’t be righteous money, you will be fighting on the side of the aggressor, on the side of a colonial power.”
Ukraine has been trying to grow its diplomatic clout in Africa but is running up against decades of skilful Russian influence-building.
At the start of Putin’s invasion, many nations on the continent refused to condemn the aggression, or vote against Russia in the United Nations.
Mr Scherba said that was because few in Africa had expected Ukraine to survive.
He said: “The whole world, not only Africa, thought that Ukraine didn’t stand a chance. The plan that the Russians had was to take Kyiv in three days and all of Ukraine within 15 days.”
Many on the continent thought the world was on the verge of a new Cold War and wanted to open doors to both sides, so did not want to condemn Russia.
Mr Scherba said Russian popularity on the continent was “not as much Russia’s strength as the West’s weakness”.
“The global wave of anti-Americanism and anti-Western mood is very much present on this continent,” he said.
“It’s part of reality and Russia is using this sentiment that blames the West and somehow tends to see Russia as innocent no matter what happens.”
You mean, Nigerians have no right to expect tax subsidised social services in return for the high taxes they are expected to pay? Nigeria the giant of Africa?
Pierocash: Anybody must be mad to compare a country with social amenities with Nigeria with practically no government presence. Comparing a country with higher Standard of living, , higher minimum wage, higher level of accountability.
I pay 42% tax every month in Germany but if: 1. I loose my job, the govt pays me 60% of my salary and help to find a new one 2. I have access to 3 years leave if I have a baby with a percentage of my salary and my job will wait for me until I resume. 3. Education is free in govt schools from primary to PhD 4. For every child I have, they get paid €250 monthly until they turn 18 5. I can buy a monthly ticket of €56 monthly and can travel all around the country via train (not high speed) and buses. 6. At any emergency, once you call the ambulance, it arrives within 20 minutes 7. Deffribilators and SOS access are available at every train station and high ways. 8. If I get stock in a country, I call the govt and they come to my support.
Let me stop here.
You that will pay about 30% tax in Nigeria that was copied 90% from the UK tax law, what will you get?
My mother, Alhaja, as she was fondly called, was a drama Queen. I will narrate just one story today.
So my mother entered a bus, and the driver drove past her bus stop, even after she called his attention.
When she complained, the conductor suddenly chose violence 😭
He started abusing her loudly: “Awon iya aje! Eko osi kuro! Iya aje!!! Huuuuu!!!” (You witches! Poverty-stricken Lagos! Witch!!!) The bus stopped.
At this point, my mother calmly reached into her bag and brought out a small container of Saturday Night powder. She blew it lightly, snapped her fingers kpaa! and muttered some very strange, very unnecessary words 😌
Then she stepped down from the bus.
As she looked back… 😭😭😭
EVERYBODY in the bus had alighted. Men. Women. Everybody.
They were walking towards her… genuflecting… prostrating… begging. “Ma, please forgive him.” “E ma binu ma.” “E joor, e ma binu.” They were now scolding the driver and conductor instead.
My mum said calmly, “You people will take me to your office.” 💀💀💀
Everybody agreed immediately. The driver reversed the bus and drove her straight to the office.
On getting there, my mother said, “Bring the conductor.”
The passengers shouted in unison: “DOBALÈ!!!”
The conductor prostrated flat. My mum brought out the powder again.
Looked up to the sky dramatically. Blew it.
She muttered another fake incantation, and the whole crowd responded: “ASE!” “AMIN!” She gently placed her hand on the conductor’s head… SLAPPED IT 😭 and said: “Go in peace.” 😭😭😭😭😭
When she finished narrating this story to us at home, we almost died of laughter.🤣🤣🤣
Honestly… African mothers are not normal. They are a genre.🤣🤣🤣
There has been a desperate attempt in certain parts of the country ever since the United States declared genocide of Christians to create a fictional counter narrative of Christian violence.
Otherwise why would a communal land dispute suddenly be branded "Christian militias?"
Has the Ife/Modakeke land issue ever been identified by religious affiliation of the combatants? Of course not because it doesn't suit the narrative.
But they want to divert attention away from the activities of herdsmen and jihadists so this is their strategy for the middle belt
Meet Tomi, The Trending Blind Nigerian Sketch Maker On Tiktok & Youtube
I miss my wife’s face every single day as a blind person🥹. The last time I saw my wife’s face, the faces of my loved ones and friends was seven years ago when I became blind as a result of an armed robber that shot me in the face. Sometimes I feel her face with my hands to create a perfect picture in my head, but it can never be compared to being able to see her with my eyes. but I’m grateful to God that I was able to see her beautiful face for several years before I became blind. It’s our wedding anniversary month and we will be six years married by January 31.
So I say to you all, value your eyes, look your loved ones in the face and tell them how beautiful and handsome they are and how much you love them. Travel if you can and see the beauty and colours of the world with them. for someone like me, all I can see is black and ever since I travelled from Nigeria to Canada, all I can hear is new accents, the new sound of birds and life around me. So if you can take a moment to just say God, I’m grateful for my eyes and find a place in your heart to pray for me to see again.🙏
In 1 Corinthians 7, Scripture encourages singleness as a better state for focusing on the Lord due to "present distress," but not as a strict command, acknowledging marriage as good and necessary for those unable to control their sexual desires, advising marriage over burning with passion.
BAILMONEY: Can someone quote one verse in the bible where catholic Monks were told not to marry 🤔
Fr Omatu go and get a wife, stay away from nuns and people's wife
My own is that living a sinful life is very necessary as a muslim. In fact, if you're not sinning 24/7, allah will never be happy with you and he will sweep you out of existence and replace you with sinners!
Sahih Muslim 2749 Abu Huraira reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) having said:
By Him in Whose Hand is my life, if you were not to commit sin, Allah would sweep you out of existence and He would replace you with those people who would commit sin and seek forgiveness from Allah, and He would have pardoned them.
Happy 106th birthday to World War II veteran, Regimental Sergeant Major Wesley Tafida of Jalingo.
His birthday falls fittingly within the buildup to the Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day, on January 15.
RSM Wesley Tafida is also the father of Major General Henry Tafida Wesley aka Wesley Snipes, recently retired Commander, Headquarters Nigerian Army Ordnance Corps.
I can never recommend the way I got married to someone else
I never saw this man face to face until he was coming to pay my bride price.
We knew each other for 6 months only talked seriously like 2 months out of that time.
And this man used speed to fly down to ask my parents for my hand
I can’t recommend it for anyone. Not even my siblings. Because humanly speaking that Time frame is too short.
Because what are the odds that the man you stumbled on on instagram Is the man you’ve prayed for all your life?
But it worked for us. We both knew and believed so much in our hearts that this was God bringing us together. And we’ve never had cause to regret.
This post is not about marriage per se but I need you to stay with me
I looked at the Bible closely and I saw that if Moses has used David’s stone it wouldn’t have worked
And there was no way Moses’s rod would have helped David kill Goliath
Infact do you remember Brother Samson? He only used the jaw bone of an ass once and threw it away.
If it were you and I today, after the kind of victory that the jawbone gave him, we would have put it inside our bag and protected it with our lives because you’ll think that’s where the victory lies.
But it wasn’t about the stone or the rod or the jawbone.
It was about God present with them
It was about God giving them victory.
And as long as God was there, that victory would continue
I’m sharing all these because as believers we are quick to look at others to copy what they are doing
When someone is experiencing victory we want to copy their prayer point word for word.
If a sister tells you that she found her husband when she was singing in the choir, the next Sunday you want to register in the choir unit when God specifically told you that you should be in the prayer band.
Because we don’t see the God behind the strategy. We think the victory is in the strategy.
If it’s not God that commanded you to use that rod, it will just be an ordinary stick.
Thank goodness that lackeys like you are now calling for the restoration of regional governance.
We're also tired of the forced concept of "unity" that has not done us any good since 1960.
madridguy: We sincerely needs leaders that prioritize the well being of their people. We need to send this people back to their region so they can do whatever they like.
Kidney problem is now like malaria courtesy their fake drinks and adulterated food items.
The IMF and the World Bank data set also corroborates the economic projections of PWC.
Specifically, the World Bank's Oct 2025 report goes futher than PwC. It shows poverty rising for 2 consecutive years: 53.3% at $3/day line or 71% at $4.20/day by 2026, aligning with PwC's worsening trend to 62%.
All of these World class economic institutions cannot be wrong and a certificate forging drug sniffer and his hired lackeys would be right.
There is a long and well documented history of Muslims killing other Muslims, right from Day 1 of Islam.
The day Muhammad died, his companions left his body to rot while they met at a place called Saqifah Bani Sa‘idah to decide who would inherit the empire. Within twenty years:
The first caliph after Muhammad is believed to have been poisoned by other muslims
The second caliph, Umar ibn al‑Khattab, was killed by other Muslims.
The third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, was killed by other Muslims.
The fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib, was killed by other Muslims.
Ali’s two sons, who were supposed to take over, were killed by other Muslims.
Muhammad's wife Aisha bint Abu Bakr and his cousin Ali fought each other in the Battle of the Camel. Then Ali fought Mu‘awiya at the Battle of Siffin.
In those early years, the number of Muslims killed by other Muslims ran into 250,000.
Later: the Umayyad Caliphate attacked Mecca and struck the Kaaba. The Abbasid Caliphate then massacred the Umayyads.
From the first “fitna” to the dynastic slaughter, the story of Islam contains internal bloodletting, not only conquest abroad, but strife within.
What we are seeing in Northern Nigeria today is simply the natural result of a political ideology that has been ongoing for 1400 years.
We can’t possibly call Muhammad’s companions, wife, and cousins “Islamists.” They were not radicals; they were the original Muslims. They memorized the Qur’an, fought beside Muhammad, and built the empire he left behind. And yet, they slaughtered one another.
What they did to each other in Medina, Basra, and Siffin is no different in spirit from what Muslims are doing today in Sudan, what they’re doing to Christians in Nigeria, and what they dream of doing to Jews in Israel.
Richtaiwo: So, if Muslims are also falling victim to banditry and insurgency, one is compelled to ask, where exactly did this dramatic tale of a “Christian genocide” originate from? Or is it one of those conspiracy theories manufactured somewhere between WhatsApp broadcasts and late-night imagination?
And now to the handle-mops, having exhausted local theatrics, they appear to be pinning their hopes on Trump, expecting him to swoop in and somehow replace Tinubu with pitobi under the banner of “Christian genocide.” One has to admire the creativity.
When that fantasy collapses, as it surely will, what’s the next move? A heartfelt appeal to Netanyahu? At this rate, the campaign strategy seems less like politics and more like an international prayer chain, desperately searching for a miracle sponsor.
Thieves carried out a massive holiday heist at a German bank, stealing valuables worth at least $36 million after breaking into a concrete vault and forcing open more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes, police said.
The robbery occurred over Christmas weekend at the Buer branch of Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen, in western Germany. Investigators said the perpetrators first broke through a door before drilling a large hole through the vault wall, using heavy equipment in what police described as a highly professional operation.
More than 95% of the bank’s safe deposit boxes were breached. While the insured value of the stolen items is estimated at €31 million ($36 million), officials warned the true losses could be far higher, as many customers may have stored valuables exceeding insurance limits.
Local police spokesman Thomas Nowaczyk called the heist “spectacular,” noting that the scale and execution suggested careful planning rather than a spontaneous crime. Authorities believe the operation took significant time and may have involved inside knowledge of the bank’s security.
The break-in was discovered after a fire alarm alerted emergency responders early Monday. In the days following, dozens of customers gathered outside the branch, many fearing the loss of family heirlooms and irreplaceable valuables.
Criminology experts said banks often face reduced security during holiday periods, making them more vulnerable to well-organized thefts of this scale.
A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a student on University of Toronto's Scarborough campus (UTSC) last month, police say.
Babatunde Afuwape, a 28-year-old Toronto man, is accused of fatally shooting 20-year-old Shivank Avasthi on a popular campus trail on Dec. 23, Det.-Sgt. Stacey McCabe said at a news conference Wednesday.
Around 3:30 p.m. that day, officers were called to the area of Highland Creek Trail and Old Kingston Road for unknown trouble, Toronto police said last month.
Police arrived to find Avasthi with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The shooting was Toronto's 41st homicide of 2025.
Avasthi was a third-year University of Toronto student from India, McCabe said.
"He was young, bright, and had his whole life ahead of him. Our thoughts remain with his family, friends and classmates," she said. "This was a deeply tragic case."
The university's cheerleading and powerlifting clubs both posted tributes to Avasthi on social media in the days following the shooting, both saying he had a way of lifting others up with his positivity.
Attack may have been random, police say
Investigators are still working to determine a motive, as police believe Afuwape and Avasthi were not known to each other, McCabe said Wednesday. She said police believe the shooting may have been random.
"He was there to kill somebody, is our belief. I'm not sure how he chose Avasthi," she said.
Afuwape had been on the campus for about an hour before the shooting, McCabe said. She said police don't know his employment status, but they don't believe he was a student.
Afuwape was arrested on Dec. 28 for breach of parole, which was issued for firearm offences, McCabe said. He was scheduled to appear in court earlier this week, police said in a news release Wednesday.
'He would do anything for the people he cared about'
Caitlin Whittier, a friend of Avasthi, said she met him through the University of Toronto cheerleading team. She said he was an active member of the team, and after the cheerleading season ended, the two stayed friends. She said she spent his last birthday with him.
"He was absolutely supportive. He was such a wonderful person. He cared so much about his friends. He was so caring and just a wonderful soul," she said.
"We would study together and he would walk me back to my car at late hours of the night to make sure I got home safe. Any problems that I had, he would give me the most wonderful advice. He would listen to everything, all of my concerns," she added.
"He would do anything for the people he cared about and it was just the love and friendship that I valued most about him."
The night Whittier found out it was Avasthi who was fatally shot, she wrote a letter to him about all the things she would have wanted him to hear in a final conversation. She gave the letter to his parents at his funeral.
"What I think Shivank would say to us if he was here, he would want us to live our lives to the fullest and he will be watching over us, cheering us on and he'll be waiting for us one day when we see him again," she said.
Whittier said in their last conversation she did tell him that he was hard working and driven and that she believed in him.
She said she has two framed photos of him in her room.
"One picture was of us at our February cheerleading competition and the other photo was me and him at the beach on his birthday and he has the most bright and wonderful smile in both of those photos.
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the receipt and subsequent release of six vigilante members who were earlier arrested by personnel of the Nigerian Army in Edo State.
The command, in a statement on Tuesday by its Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the vigilantes, who were arrested along the Auchi–Ikpeshi Road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State in early December 2025, were handed over to the command on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
According to the statement, the suspects were travelling in a vehicle belonging to the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State when they were intercepted by soldiers.
The police said the six vigilante members were formally handed over to the Kwara State Police Command by the Brigade Commander, 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi Barracks, Ilorin, Brigadier General N. N. Rume, for investigation and profiling.
“Following a thorough investigation, it was established that the individuals are legitimate members of a vigilante group operating in collaboration with recognised security agencies in the ongoing efforts to combat banditry and other forms of criminality,” the statement said.
It added that the vigilantes were exonerated of any criminal wrongdoing and were subsequently released to their respective leaders.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Ojo Adekimi, reiterated the command’s commitment to inter-agency collaboration and synergy with community-based security outfits while urging vigilante groups to always operate within the confines of the law.
The police assured residents of the state of their continued resolve to ensure the safety and security of lives and property across Kwara State.
PUNCH Metro had earlier reported, on December 14, 2025, a 36-second viral video showing soldiers interrogating a group of suspected bandits allegedly found patrolling with AK-47 rifles in a local security patrol vehicle bearing the inscription of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
In the video, the suspects were seen lying face down with their hands tied as soldiers questioned them about their activities and the source of the weapons recovered.
One of the suspects, speaking in Hausa and Nigerian Pidgin, claimed that the patrol vehicle and rifles were provided by the “Ilorin government,” alleging that they had been operating under the guise of a security patrol.
“We have been here for quite a while. We are using the vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, na the truth I dey tell you. The Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons. They were the ones that gave us the rifles,” the suspect said.
PUNCH Metro also reported that the Kwara State Government dismissed reports that it had armed the suspects.
In a statement issued on Sunday night by the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bolanle Olukoju, the state said no security agency, including the Nigerian Army, carried out any arrest of armed bandits in Ifelodun or any part of Kwara State.
“The Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in any part of Ifelodun. No security agency ever reported such arrests in Kwara,” Olukoju said.
She also debunked insinuations that the state government armed the suspects, stressing that no state government has the power to issue or distribute AK-47 rifles.
Trump has actually lifted the blockade which is why this was possible. It happened with America's permission. Imagine how desperately hungry pro Russian influencers must be to try and slun this as a victory🤣
Trolls are a nuisance, but does it really make sense to send someone to jail for a tweet? Our jails should be reserved for more serious grade of criminals like corrupt politicians.
LeeSmart: What's this social media bill for self? Trolls like this are supposed to be cooling somewhere in kuje or kirikiri.
Where did you see this regional breakdown in the article?
Richtaiwo: 13.2 million terabytes of data is no small feat, yet the regional breakdown reads like a league table where some zones are clearly chasing promotion while one is stuck at the bottom checking its shoelaces.
The SW sits comfortably at the top with a commanding 42%, followed by the SS at 25%. The NC holds its own with 15%, while the NW and NE trail behind at 7.6% and 6% respectively.
Foreign Affairs › Russian Army Forces African Recruits To Become Suicide Bombers (video)) by BlackViper(op): 4:20pm On Jan 13
