Three Russians who allegedly lured scores of Nigerians to emigrate to Russia for supposed greener pastures, but got them to fight in the war in Ukraine have been sanctioned by the British Government.
The UK government in a press release by its mission in Nigeria, however named only one of those sanctioned for this act, one Polina Amexandrovna Azarnykh, who is said to have close ties to the Russian authorities.
“The UK continues to disrupt Russia’s military supply chains and the callous trafficking of foreign migrants to support its war machine. Sanctions announced today directly target individuals trafficking vulnerable migrants to fight on the frontline of Putin’s war, as well as companies supplying Russia’s drone factories.
“Fresh action demonstrates continued UK leadership to combat Russian aggression at every level, ratchet up economic pressure on the Kremlin and support Ukraine for as long as it takes to secure a just and lasting peace,” the statement said.
According to the UK government, some of the sanctioned networks have been “deceptively recruiting foreign migrants in search of a better life” and deploying them either to the battlefield or to work in drone manufacturing facilities tied to Russia’s military-industrial complex.
Even as the type of sanctions was not mentioned, the UK’s sanctions minister, Stephen Doughty, in the statement condemned what he tagged the Putin administration’s “practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia’s failing and illegal war in Ukraine”.
“These sanctions expose and disrupt the operations of those trafficking migrants as cannon fodder and feeding Putin’s drone factories with illicit components to target innocent civilians and vital infrastructure.
“The UK continues to lead international efforts to disrupt Russia’s war machine, ramping up pressure on its economy and confronting its hybrid threats. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine in defence of European security and our shared values.”
Russia has consistently denied such, with its ambassador in Nigeria, Andrey Podyelyshev holding a press conference in February to refute this.
The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Ministry put out an advisory in the same month warning its nationals against falling for overseas recruitment schemes.
Viral videos have circulated with persons who identify themselves as Nigerians filming themselves on the frontlines fighting alongside Russian troops.