The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has denied claims that African students, particularly Nigerians, are being coerced into joining the ongoing war in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions.
A Bloomberg report alleged that Russia aimed to enlist thousands of migrants and foreign students to support its troops, using tactics akin to the Wagner mercenary group.
European officials claimed the Kremlin threatened to withhold visa renewals unless African students and young workers joined the military. Yevgeny Primakov of Rossotrudnichestvo estimated 35,000-37,000 African students are in Russia.
The embassy dismissed these reports as false and unfounded, warning of potential harm to Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation.
It stated that no Nigerian student associations in Russia had confirmed these claims and that Nigerian students faced no issues in extending their visas.
The embassy praised Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry and the Nigerian Students Association in Moscow for countering the misinformation, pledging continued friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria.
“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 states that Nigerian students face no difficulties in extending their visas while continuing their studies in Russia. Numerous associations of Nigerian students in Russia have not reported any issues in obtaining the necessary documentation to continue their stay in the country.
“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 said.