Kenyansโ Reportedly Fighting inโข Russia‘s War, Recruitment Networks Under Scrutiny
NAIROBI, Kenya – โคThe Kenyan governmentโ has expressed concern and launched โan โinvestigation into reports that its citizens are being recruited toโฃ fightโค alongside โRussian forces in the warโ in Ukraine, according to multiple sources. The revelationโ comesโข asโ Serbia navigates potential ownership changes in its oilโ company โNIS, currently controlledโฃ by Russian energy giant Gazprom, โdue to US sanctions.
The Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it is investigatingโ alleged recruitment networks promising lucrative contracts to young Kenyans, some of whom are reportedlyโ ending up โฃon the โคfront lines in Ukraine.Details remain โscarce, but officials are working to verify the claimsโ and determine โtheโฃ extentโ of the recruitment operation.
This development occurs amidst broader geopolitical shifts impacting energyโข markets and internationalโข alliances. โคOneโ month after US sanctionsโ targeted the Serbian oil company NIS,controlled by Gazprom,Russia isโ reportedly negotiating โฃits withdrawal โfrom the company. Serbian Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic stated on Instagram โฃthat the Russian โขownersโฃ of NIS have applied to the US Office ofโฃ Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for an operating license extension, indicating “that the Russian side is โฃready to hand over controlโ and influence overโฃ NIS to a third party.”โ
While a potential buyer has not been identified, the Serbian government โฃhas โ”officially supported”โ the Russian โrequest, with OFAC expected to respond this week. Serbian President Aleksandarโข Vucic confirmed talks betweenโฃ “theโ Russian state (…) and a thirdโข party” and emphasized his commitment to “protect โSerbian interests,” speaking on government-affiliated stationโข Pink TV.
NIS holds a meaningful stake inโ Gazprom โNeft (45 percent)โค and suppliesโ over 80 percent of โSerbia’s diesel and โgasoline needs. Gazprom previously transferred an 11 percent stake to Intelligence, a St. Petersburg-based company also linked to the Russian energy group, โคin September. The serbian stateโข owns nearly 30 percent of NIS, โขwith the remainder held by minority shareholders.
Meanwhile,in Ukraine,anti-corruption โinvestigators have accused โคa close confidant of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy,Timur mindich,of widespread corruption. A representative of the anti-corruption prosecutor’sโ office (Sapo) told โthe court on Tuesday that Mindich allegedly used “amiableโ relations with the โฃPresident of Ukraine” to unlawfully โคenrich himself through criminal activities.
Sources:
* https://www.t-online.de/themen/pink/