Two Nigerian Mercenaries Killed Fighting for Russia in Ukraine

​The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (UDI) has confirmed the deaths of two Nigerian nationals, Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Udoka, who were killed while serving as mercenaries for the Russian military in the occupied Luhansk region.

​According to official statements released by the UDI on Thursday, the two men were part of a growing trend of foreign nationals being recruited into Russian “meat grinder” units with little to no preparation. Kolawole (41) and Udoka (36) reportedly signed contracts in the latter half of 2025 with the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment, a unit under the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division.

​Military intelligence records suggest a harrowing lack of oversight regarding their deployment. Udoka, for instance, was sent to the front lines just five days after signing his contract, receiving no formal combat training. While records for Kolawole were incomplete, investigators believe he faced a similar lack of preparation.

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​The men met their end in late November 2025 during a failed attempt to storm Ukrainian positions. UDI operatives stated the men “never engaged in a fight,” as they were eliminated by a precision drone strike before reaching their objective. Evidence recovered from the site included photographs of the men in military attire and a family portrait belonging to Kolawole, who is survived by a wife and three children in Nigeria.

​The UDI has leveraged this incident to issue a stern global warning, cautioning that foreign citizens lured by Russian recruitment promises risk being funneled into high-casualty combat units.