"The Uniform on My Back Came Off a Dead Body": Botswanan POW Describes How a Pop-Up Ad Promising Europe Ended With Him on Russia's Frontline

It started with a pop-up advertisement on his phone.

The ad offered jobs - in Canada, America, Poland. A WhatsApp number appeared. He called it. The man on the other end asked when he was ready to go. He said his passport was ready. The recruiter said: when do you want to leave? No other details were given. No contract was discussed. No employer was named. No country was specified.

"I was going and I was happy - obviously, everyone, especially from our African background, if you tell them that you're going to Europe and on a free trip, everyone can go." 

He is now a prisoner of war held by Ukraine's Armed Forces. He is from Botswana.

Two and a Half Days of Training

He was not taken to Europe. He was taken to Russia, and then to the front line in Ukraine. Between arrival and combat: two and a half days of training. On the third day, he was sent forward. The uniform he was given was not issued from a stockroom.

"The uniform which was on the ground on dead bodies was the uniform that I was wearing. That's when reality hit me - that I'm in deep trouble."

He describes the logic of how foreigners are used: "They didn't want to go there - they sent foreigners. And as a foreigner, you don't actually know where you're going."

Injured. Ignored.

He was wounded while in Russian service. Russia's response was nothing.

"The Russians ignored my injuries. I was not given any kind of ointment, any kind of tablet, anything. I was shown where to sleep."

When he came into Ukrainian hands, the contrast was immediate.

"When I explained to them what had happened, they actually gathered around me trying to understand what actually happened - how can we help you."

His Message

If he could speak to his past self, he has one thing to say:

"Please go back. Please go back. You can't contact their police - they will actually take you and put you inside. Please go back if you can on your own. Please go."

The warning about Russia's police is significant. It matches the documented experience of other African recruits who attempted to leave: Russian military and civil authorities treat escape attempts as desertion, and treat the men themselves as assets to be returned to the front, not people with rights to protection.

Digital Platforms Are Part of Russia's Recruitment Machine

The recruiter on WhatsApp did not tell him where he had planned to send him. The ad did not mention Russia. The promise was Europe. The destination was a trench on Russia's frontline, in someone else's uniform.
Russia uses digital advertising - pop-ups, social media, WhatsApp - as a systematic recruitment tool, targeting vulnerable populations with fake job offers. The Alabuga drone factory, which has recruited an estimated 1,000 young African women to assemble suicide drones, ran open recruitment campaigns on YouTube until pressure from Ukraine forced the platform to act. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha confirmed that YouTube removed the videos following diplomatic pressure.

Digital platforms need to do more. If you receive any unsolicited job offer - through a pop-up, social media, WhatsApp, or any other channel - promising work in Europe, North America, or the Gulf, verify independently before responding. Any offer that moves quickly, asks for passport details early, and avoids naming a specific employer or contract terms should be treated as suspect.

If you or your relative has already traveled to Russia on such an offer - here is a safe way out. Don't hesitate and act until it's too late.

Source: United 24 Youtube