Man in court for recruiting Zimbabweans to fight in Ukraine war

A 36-year-old Harare man has appeared in court accused of recruiting young Zimbabwean men to join the Russian military and fight in the ongoing war against Ukraine.

Edward Kachingwe appeared before Harare magistrate Jesse Kufa on Monday facing charges of trafficking in persons and operating an unregistered employment agency.

He was not asked to plead.

Magistrate Kufa declined to hear Kachingwe's bail application, ruling that, given the seriousness of the allegations, he should instead approach the High Court.

According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Kachingwe allegedly worked with a Russian national identified only as "Roman", who remains at large, to recruit Zimbabweans for deployment to the Russian armed forces.

Prosecutors allege that Kachingwe and his alleged accomplice unlawfully recruited young men who would be sent to fight in the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"The accused connived with Roman and then started to unlawfully recruit victims to join the Russian army where they will be forced to fight in the armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukrainian Forces," the NPA alleges.

The prosecution said investigators received intelligence indicating that Kachingwe had already recruited five young Zimbabwean men before his arrest.

He was allegedly apprehended at Harare's Roadport Bus Terminus on June 27 while escorting one of the recruits to board a bus destined for South Africa, which prosecutors say was the first leg of the journey to Russia.

During the arrest, detectives allegedly recovered electronic travel tickets, Russian electronic visas and hotel booking confirmations intended for the recruits.

The case follows another recent prosecution involving Russian national Leonid Koftev, who earlier this month appeared in court facing trafficking charges after allegedly arranging for a Zimbabwean man to travel to Russia to join its military.

In April, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Zhemu Soda said at least 18 Zimbabweans had been killed while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, with at least 63 others believed to still be in the conflict zone.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the conflict has drawn foreign recruits from several countries, with reports indicating that recruiters have increasingly targeted economically vulnerable young men in parts of Africa by offering lucrative military contracts.

Kachingwe remains in custody pending his appearance before the High Court for consideration of bail.