Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence has confirmed that two Nigerian nationals were killed while serving with Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
In a statement on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the agency said its operatives had recovered and identified the bodies as Hamzat Kazeen Kolawole, 42, and Mbah Stephen Udoka, 38, highlighting the extreme risks faced by foreign recruits in the conflict.
Both men reportedly signed contracts with the Russian military in 2025, Kolawole on August 29 and Udoka on September 28, and were assigned to the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment of the 4th Guards Kantemirovskaya Tank Division.
Ukrainian officials said Udoka had no formal military training and was deployed to a combat unit on October 3, 2025, just days after signing his contract.
READ ALSO:Â Kenyan Family Seeks Answers, Repatriation After Son Dies In Ukraine War
Kolawole is also believed to have been sent to the front without adequate preparation.
The men were killed in late November 2025 during an assault on Ukrainian positions in Luhansk Oblast, reportedly struck by drone fire before reaching frontline defenses.
Kolawole is survived by his wife and three children in Nigeria, while details about Udoka’s family remain undisclosed.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence warned that foreign recruited into Russian military service face high-risk deployment, underscoring the dangers confronting non-Ukrainian fighters in the Russia-Ukraine war.