Ukraine: Bodies of Two Nigerians Fighting for Russia Found

SadaNews - Ukrainian authorities announced on Thursday evening that they had found the bodies of two Nigerians who were fighting for Russia in eastern Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, Hamza Kazin Kolawole and Mbaha Stephen Oduka served in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the Russian Armed Forces.

It added that both men signed contracts with the Russian army in the second half of 2025, with Kolawole signing on August 29 and Oduka on September 28.

Neither man had received any military training. Kolawole left behind a wife and three children in their home country in West Africa, according to the Associated Press. The bodies were found in Luhansk, a region in Donbas in eastern Ukraine.

The intelligence agency stated: "Both Nigerians were killed in late November during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. They did not engage in any exchange of fire, but rather died in a drone strike."

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with the conflict mainly concentrated in southern and eastern parts of Ukraine.