The Russia-Ukraine war, now more than four years old, is the sort of distant conflict we Africans might imagine has nothing to do with us. Except that many of our young men – I have yet to hear of women among them – have been sucked into its vortex, with a sizeable number having died on the battlefield.

We in South Africa know of two casualties. They were part of a 17-strong group recruited mainly from KwaZulu-Natal that was sent to Russia last year under the pretext of security training or employment. Eleven were repatriated last month. Four had been repatriated earlier, while two were still in Russia with severe wounds.

According to investigative organisation Inpact, 316 Africans have perished on the front lines, equivalent to about one-fifth of an estimated 1400 lured by false promises of educational or employment opportunities.

Ninety-four of the dead hailed from Cameroon, whose government warned about a year ago of the threat posed to its own army by constant desertions of soldiers who were leaving for Russia to fight on the Ukrainian front, attracted by promises of better remuneration.

Ghanaians account for 55 confirmed dead and Kenya has at least one dead, with a government spokesperson telling the media in Nairobi on March 5 that 39 had been hospitalised, while 28 were missing in action and others had returned home.

Inpact claims the average length of service for those who died in combat was only six months, reinforcing the notion that the fate of many African recruits is to serve as cannon fodder on the front lines.

While some young Africans are prompted to enlist by pro-Russian or anti-Western ideologies, most are drawn by salaries unattainable in their home countries or find themselves with no choice once they arrive in Russia.

According to Inpact’s research, published in a report titled ‘The Business of Despair’, remuneration for the recruits varies, but typically includes an initial payment of about $30 000 and a monthly salary of about $2 300. What’s more, Russian citizenship may be granted after three to six months of service.

Thirty-five African countries have their citizens fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Egypt, with 361 fighters, is the largest contributor, followed by Cameroon (335) and Ghana (234).

Africans are not the only ones involved. According to statistics from Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Russia has recruited more than 24 000 foreign fighters from 44 countries since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The largest number of recruits came from Central Asia, with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan together sending 11 157, of whom at least 1 399 have been killed.

While Russia has been drawing manpower from the world’s poorer countries, Ukraine has been sustained by something else – Western firepower. Since the invasion, the US alone has made available $188-billion in spending related to the war, in addition to a $20-billion loan to the Ukrainian government provided through the World Bank.

Of the total amount, $127-billion is direct US aid to Ukraine, while the bulk of the remainder has funded various activities associated with the war, such as US military presence in Europe, and a small portion has supported other affected countries in the region.

European countries have also poured vast resources into the war effort. Collectively, European governments and EU institutions have contributed about €138-billion, with Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and France among the largest donors.

Europe has also become a central hub for training Ukrainian troops. Through the EU Military Assistance Mission, launched in 2022, more than 85 000 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in European countries in areas ranging from tactical manoeuvres and logistics to mine clearance and battlefield medicine.

The EU has further financed weapons deliveries through the European Peace Facility, which reimburses member States for sending military equipment to Ukraine. That mechanism alone has mobilised more than €6-billion for weapons, ammunition, fuel and protective gear.

The scale of this assistance underscores how a war that started between two neighbours has become profoundly international. The US and Europe supply the missiles, tanks and rocket systems that sustain Ukraine’s resistance, while many countries from the rest of the world supply something far more precious – their young men.

For more than 300 African families, that faraway war became heartbreakingly close when a coffin arrived at their door.