22.1 C
Abuja
Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Russia denies coercion claims: ‘No African students forced into Ukraine War’

Embassy insists allegations are damaging and unfounded

Must read

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has categorically denied allegations that it is coercing African students, particularly Nigerians, to join the ongoing war in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions. This strong rebuttal came in response to a report by Bloomberg on Monday, which suggested that Russia was recruiting thousands of migrants and foreign students to bolster its military forces, using methods akin to those of the Wagner mercenary group.

Advertisement

Bloomberg’s report cited European officials who claimed the Kremlin was pressuring African students and young workers with visa non-renewal threats unless they agreed to enlist. Yevgeny Primakov, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, estimated there are currently between 35,000 and 37,000 African students in Russia.

In a vehement rejection of these claims, the Russian Embassy labelled the reports as “fake news” and stressed the potential harm such misinformation could cause to educational cooperation between Russia and Nigeria. The embassy highlighted that no Nigerian student associations in Russia have corroborated the allegations and assured that Nigerian students face no issues extending their visas while studying in Russia.

“The Embassy of the Russian Federation is compelled to emphasise that such news is not only false but also damages Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation by misleading numerous scholarship and grant applicants as well as their partners, who could be extremely concerned by such fakes,” the embassy stated.

The embassy also praised the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Association of Nigerian Students in Moscow for their efforts in debunking the false claims. It reiterated its commitment to fostering friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria.

“The Embassy welcomes the official press release of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter and expresses gratitude to the Ministry and the Association of Nigerian Students in Moscow for their efforts in debunking the fake news aimed at undermining the friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria,” the statement concluded.

More articles

Latest article