In December 2025, Elizabeth Tabamubi’s husband only identified as Byamugisha left Uganda using a tourist visa to take up a security guard job he had been promised in Russia. A Russian national only identified as Dimitry had promised Byamugisha and 30 other Ugandan nationals driving and security guard jobs that would pay them a monthly salary of 160,000 Russian Rubles (about Shs 7.3m) per month. However, four days after reaching Russia, Byamugisha and his colleagues, including his wife’s brother, were whisked to a military camp, where they were subjected to military training before being deployed to the frontline in the Russia-Ukraine war. “He did not tell me anything. I only got a call four days after he had left Uganda. He told me he was in Russia and had secured a job there. Four days later, he called again, telling me that things were bad. He said what they were promised is not what they were being given. He said they had been forced to sign contracts to fight on the side of Russia in Ukraine. The last time I heard from him was on January 17. I do not know if he has been killed or not,” Tabamubi told journalists during a press conference in Kampala, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Tabamubi now wants the Russian and Ugandan governments to help her locate her husband and brother. She addressed journalists alongside 30 others who are appealing to the governments of Russia and Uganda to return their loved ones to Uganda, dead or alive. Janipher Namuli shared a story similar to Tabamubi’s. Namuli’s husband, William Kyofa, left Uganda after being promised a driving job in Russia. “He did not disclose to me his destination before leaving. He only informed me when he arrived in Russia that he had secured a job there. He called me, saying they had been taken to a military camp for training. Elizabeth RabamubiAfterwards, he told me they had been made to sign contracts in a language [Russian] he did not understand. He said they promised him hell if he declined to sign the contracts. He said they executed some defiant Ghanaians to serve as an example to any of the new arrivals that would defy the orders,” Namuli told journalists. She says her husband told her most of the Ugandan victims had a background in security. “Most of them were people who had worked as security guards and drivers in hostile areas such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq. They were recruited by a Russian national through a WhatsApp group. That Russian found most of the victims unemployed and took advantage of them. They were desperate. Most of the victims travelled on tourist visas,” Namuli narrated as tears rolled down her face. The complainants said the person who trafficked the victims did not tell them what they were going to do in Russia. “My husband told me that when they arrived, everything changed. They thought they were the usual security guard jobs, yet this was not the case,” said Caroline Mukiza, whose husband was confirmed dead via social media photos. Mukiza, now left alone with three children, says she received photos of her dead husband via Facebook and later X. The body has not been repatriated despite appeals to the Ugandan and Russian governments for support. Payments Innocent Kato, whose relative went missing in Ukraine, says the promised payments have not been given to the families of the victims. Documents seen by the Observer said the recruits were promised 160,000 Russian Roubles (Shs 7.3m), but most of the victims’ families have not received payment from the company that trafficked them. “The gentleman who recruited them from Uganda is the one who manages the accounts. When these guys were training, they expected payment, but never got it. The families are requesting the Government to simply facilitate the safe return of these people who were trafficked,” Kato said. Appeals for repatriation “We know they left Uganda through illegal routes, but we humbly request the government of Uganda to help our people to return,” Namuli appealed to the government. Kato added his voice to Namuli’s, saying Russia should account for their relatives. “For those who died, there should be accountability. Russia should account for these people. They were serving under Russia, and it should account for them,” he said. Government response Gender and Labour minister Betty Amongi advised any Ugandan stuck in Russia or Ukraine to reach out to the Ugandan embassy in Moscow for help. “The only programme we know is for females. If there are any Ugandans stuck at the battle front in Ukraine, they must have been trafficked. I know of many Africans who have ended up there through trafficking,” Amongi said. Earlier in February, Foreign Affairs state minister Henry Okello-Oryem said the Ugandan government would not be able to repatriate the remains of people who left Uganda illegally. “The government of Uganda does not have the capacity to repatriate the bodies of Ugandans who lose their lives abroad. That is why we advise Ugandans travelling abroad to go through official channels,” he said. When contacted, the Russian embassy in Uganda promised to address the matter after consultations. Continental problem A recent report titled ‘The Business of Despair’ released on February 11, 2026, indicated that over 1,000 Africans had been trafficked by Russians to the war front in Ukraine. It indicated that seven Ugandan nationals were recruited to fight on the side of Russian forces in Ukraine, and of these, two were killed. The investigative report was authored by a Swiss non-government organisation called INPACT. The report also detailed the number of Africans who have been killed at the frontline in Ukraine. According to the analysis, the countries with a significant number of citizens at the Ukraine-Russia war are Egypt with 361, Cameroon with 335 and Ghana 234. The same report indicates that at least 94 Cameroonian nationals suffered the highest number of deaths, followed by Ghanaians at 55 and Egyptians (52). According to the report, in the 18-25 age group, 60 African recruits were killed in action in Ukraine, with the number of listed recruits killed while fighting in the Russian army totalling 316. Kenya The country that lost most citizens at the war front was Kenya with 10, followed by Burundi with six, DR Congo with three and Uganda with two. Rwanda, Somalia and South Sudan had none. Following the deaths and distress calls from Kenyans stuck in Ukraine, the country’s foreign minister, Musalia Mudavadi, flew to Moscow a fortnight ago and met Russia’s foreign affairs minister Sergei Lavrov over the matter. After the meeting, Mudavadi told journalists that Kenya and Russia agreed that Kenyans will no longer be recruited to fight in Ukraine. Stakeholders speak Frank Rusa, a lecturer of international relations at Cavendish University in Kampala, said most Ugandans are trafficked overseas for dangerous jobs because of the high unemployment in the country. “The Government should create jobs for the youth so that they do not fall prey to people who want to traffic them into dangerous activities. People who retire from security forces should also be guided on how to utilise their retirement package well so that they do not become despondent,” he said. Kenneth Oloka, the chief executive officer of Kyeyo Initiative Uganda, a non-government organisation that fights for the rights of migrant workers, appealed to the government to strengthen surveillance on companies and individuals that take people abroad for work. He attributed the problem to weak laws and corruption. “Most of the traffickers go through airports with ease. They are not asked many questions. Besides, corruption in emigration ensures that they go through smoothly,” he said.The post Ugandan families ask govt to return relatives stuck in Russia-Ukraine war appeared first on The Observer.