Ukraine has announced the recovery of the bodies of two Nigerian nationals in the eastern Luhansk Oblast, alleging they were fighting alongside Russian forces in the protracted war now entering its fourth year.
In a statement issued Thursday, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence agency said its operatives identified the deceased as 42-year-old Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole and 38-year-old Mbah Stephen Udoka. According to the agency, both men had enlisted in the Russian military in the latter half of 2025.
Ukrainian officials stated that Kolawole signed his contract on August 29, while Udoka enlisted on September 28. Udoka was reportedly deployed just days later, on October 3, without undergoing formal military training.
Authorities added that there were no available training records for Kolawole either, suggesting he may also have been sent to the front without preparation.
The two men were said to have served in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91701), a formation within the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division of the Russian Armed Forces. Ukrainian intelligence claims the unit had been operating in occupied areas of eastern Ukraine.
According to the statement, both Nigerians were killed in late November during a drone strike while attempting to assault Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region.
The agency further alleged that Udoka was dispatched to territories under Russian occupation shortly after signing his contract. It added that Kolawole is survived by his wife and three children in Nigeria.
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In closing, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence cautioned foreign nationals against traveling to Russia or accepting employment there during the ongoing conflict.
It warned that such decisions carry the risk of being conscripted into high-casualty assault units and facing fatal consequences on the battlefield.