16 Cameroonians killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, officials say
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At least 16 Cameroonian nationals have been killed fighting for the Russian military in Ukraine, officials in Yaounde, the capital of the Central African country, acknowledged.
The acknowledgement, which was delivered to Yaounde by Russian officials and broadcast through Cameroonian state media on April 6, marks the first time Cameroon has formally spoken of its citizens' involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
Moscow has been recruiting foreign fighters from countries such as Nepal, Somalia, India, and Cuba since the start of its full-scale invasion in 2022. While the full extent of the recruitment efforts are not verifiable, an April 2025 investigation by Russian independent outlet Important Stories identified more than 1,500 foreign fighters from 48 countries who had joined Russia's army.
Ukraine's military previously released videos in 2025 documenting two captured Cameroonian mercenaries fighting for Russia.
Reuters reported on April 7 that Cameroon's foreign ministry issued a statement requestion family members of the deceased soldiers get in contact with ministry officials in Yaounde.
The circumstances surrounding the 16 deceased soldiers’ participation in the war remain unclear, including whether they joined as paid mercenaries willingly or were coerced into military service while in Russia.
Yaounde and Moscow have maintained cozy relations as Russia seeks to exert additional influence on the African continent. In 2022, following the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two countries signed a security agreement in the fields of defence and security policy, troop training and education, medicine, and topography.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in February that at least 1,780 citizens of various African countries are fighting for Russia.
Cameroon has said it does not deploy its soldiers to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine.
North Korea remains largest contributor of foreign troops to Russia's war effort, having previously deployed 12,000 troops to aid in a Russian-led counter-offensive in Kursk Oblast.
