The Ukrainian army has captured several young Togolese who had been fighting on the Ukrainian front as part of the Russian army.
In the past, numerous young Togolese left their country to take up alleged scholarships for university studies in Russia. Upon arrival, they were forced to join the military and were then sent to the front lines. The Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs now warns against accepting such supposed scholarships without thorough verification or entering into any commitments.
Recently, there have been increasing reports of similar cases involving students or former prisoners from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, and Benin being forced to serve in the Russian army on the Ukrainian front.