“Take Me Back Home!” – Ugandan Man Pleads After Being Conned Into Russian Army
A Ugandan national has made an emotional appeal to his country to help him return home.
This comes after he was allegedly duped into going to Russia for what he thought was a supermarket job, only to be recruited into the Russian army.
Akantorana Richard, a prisoner of war in Ukraine, claims that recruiters misled him and other Ugandans about job opportunities abroad.
Speaking from Ukraine, where he surrendered to Ukrainian soldiers after fleeing the Russian army, Akantorana begged Ugandan authorities to intercede on behalf of the victims.
“My country, Uganda, please, we have a lot of Ugandans who were deceived here who want to come back home,” Akantorana said. “Please do the necessary thing to bring them back home.”
Richard stated that several Ugandans who traveled in similar circumstances have subsequently been jailed, while the whereabouts of others are unknown.
“They were deceived by those agents in Uganda, and some of them were arrested, and we don’t know where they are,” he said.
Video: Akantorana said he’s approached by a recruiter who promised jobs in Russia as a supermarket worker, factory employee or airport security guard only to end up in a forested location & held in what he was told was an underground Russian military facility #ChimpReportsNews https://t.co/oN15fLVLyN pic.twitter.com/UmkpH31Xsr
— ChimpReports (@ChimpReports) January 11, 2026
“For me, I have escaped and I’m in Ukrainian hands. I am okay,” Akantorana said, adding that he is now seeking help to return home. “Please organise and bring me back home.”
Akantorana’s appeal illustrates growing worries over alleged human trafficking and misleading recruitment methods aimed at Ugandans seeking work abroad.
In recent years, authorities have warned against unlicensed agents who attract job seekers with promises of international employment, only to exploit or abuse them.
His plight also raises concerns about the fate of other Ugandans who are reported to be in similar situations, whether incarcerated, missing, or still involved in the fighting.
Richard stated that numerous people who traveled with him or under similar circumstances remain unaccounted for.
Ugandan officials have yet to react to Akantorana’s request.
In an earlier video shared online, Akantorana, born in 1982 and a father of two daughters, said he left Uganda in search of better economic opportunities to support his family.
These are Uganda's Updf soldiers in Ukraine, fighting for the Russians government. But is Uganda benefiting from this or museveni as the person and why he sends the indigenous Ugandans not his son. pic.twitter.com/27SzLworsJ
— Bekar Sebatindila 🇺🇬 (@BekarSebat51443) January 11, 2026
He narrated that he was approached by an individual who promised him well-paying jobs in Russia, including work in supermarkets, factories, airport security, and cleaning services.
The offer was legitimate, and he secured a loan from a savings and credit cooperative to finance his travel.
“Somebody found me on the streets and said there are some jobs in Russia… and they are well-paying jobs,” he said. “I got a loan from a sacco to buy a ticket to Russia. We were only four.”
However, upon arrival, Richard said the reality was starkly different.
Instead of civilian employment, he and his companions were taken to Balashikha, a city in Russia, where they were informed they would be joining the Russian military.
“I didn’t know we were going to Balashikha. I knew we were going to the supermarket,” he said. “On reaching there, we saw the gates opening and they said, ‘Sorry guys, you are joining the Russian military.’”
He said their objections were dismissed and they were coerced into compliance.
“We told them this is not what brought us here, but they said there’s nothing we can do,” Richard said.
“You can’t cross the gate; it is locked. He put us at gunpoint and said you have to sign these papers.”
Akantorana described being transported overnight in a large truck to an undisclosed location.
“At around 1 am, they put us inside a big truck and drove us around; we didn’t know where we were,” he said, adding that conditions worsened when they were taken to a forested area and held underground.
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“The underground was horrible. There were bedbugs. We were only given biscuits and water.”
He said despair gripped the group, with some suggesting suicide, but he refused.
Akantorana later managed to escape under the cover of darkness and ran until he encountered soldiers from Ukraine’s 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
He added that he does not know the fate of the three other Ugandans he travelled with.
“I have escaped by God’s grace. The others are in jail somewhere; I don’t know where,” he said.
“Take Me Back Home!” – Ugandan Man Pleads After Being Conned Into Russian Army
