The Cameroon government has confirmed the deaths of 16 of its citizens who were involved alongside the Russia military in Ukraine.
The Ministry of External Relations in Cameroon published the list of names, obtained through a verbal note from the Russian embassy in Yaoundé on March 5, 2026.
According to the document, the deaths occurred in the zone of the so-called “special military operation,” the term used by Russia to describe its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022.
The names of the 16 deceased Cameroonians were read on national radio on Monday. Authorities urged the families of the deceased to reach out to the government for further information and support.
This marks the first time the Cameroonian government has officially confirmed the deaths of its citizens fighting with Russian forces in Ukraine.
In February 2026, an investigation by the collective All Eyes on Wagner reported that hundreds of African combatants who enlisted with the Russian military between 2023 and mid-2025 had died, with Cameroon recording the highest African contingent toll—94 deaths out of 335 fighters.
In November 2025, Kyiv reported that Moscow had recruited more than 1,400 African nationals to fight in Ukraine. In recent months, several African countries, including Kenya and South Africa, faced concerns over citizens allegedly misled into joining Russian armed forces.
