Russia has recruited over 28,000 foreigners to join its military. Among them are foreign students at Russian universities. Sadly, many of these students are Africans pushed to fight in the war in Ukraine. One of the victims in this video was recruited by force from medical school

Thank you to everyone who has already donated to my GoFundMe! Your support is vital as I investigate Russian atrocities across Africa. Please keep donating so this work can continue, children can be protected, and the truth can come out:
www.gofundme.com/f/philip-oba...

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who has donated to my GoFundMe to expose Russian crimes in Africa. Your support has moved me to tears & given me strength to keep fighting. But there’s still more to do. If you can, please keep supporting: www.gofundme.com/f/philip-oba...

Russia is extending its reach across Africa not only through diplomacy and military cooperation, but also through religion. Since 2022, the Russian Orthodox Church reports that more than 200 African parishes have switched their allegiance to Moscow.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

You helped me tell the painful stories of young girls raped on their farmlands by Russian paramilitaries. You’re helping tell more stories of abuse by these mercenaries across Africa. Thank you for everything. Please keep supporting me. Your donation helps www.gofundme.com/f/philip-oba...

When I was arrested, detained & tortured by Central African soldiers on the orders of Russian mercenaries who targeted me for exposing several of their crimes, you all stood by me. You still stand by me. Thank you for everything. Please keep supporting me: www.gofundme.com/f/philip-oba...

Let me explain this photo. On Wednesday, June 23, in Zarho village in northern Mali, Russian mercenaries & Malian soldiers slaughtered a young Tamasheq Tuareg. A swastika was formed with the two arms & two legs of the decapitated victim. His head was placed in the middle of the cross

I addressed Members of the European Parliament from the committees on external affairs, development cooperation & security. I made it clear that Russia is using Africa as a launchpad for disinformation targeting Europe and that the EU must act fast to deal with the ugly situation

Africa is becoming Russia’s launchpad for disinformation targeting Europe. From troll farms & ghost reporters in West & Central Africa to influence ops hitting European elections, Moscow is weaponizing the continent to sow chaos. I’ve seen the networks up close. We must push back

A man from Burundi has come forward, revealing that he was deceived into signing a contract with the Russian military and deployed as cannon fodder on the front lines.

Russia is recruiting Africans for troll farms and influence ops targeting Europe. From fake accounts spreading division in the Netherlands to amplifying migration fears and anti-EU sentiment, Moscow is weaponising African labour for its hybrid war.

Russian mercenaries have massacred villagers, raped girls & turned farms into torture sites. Telling these stories matters. It exposes the truth, holds killers accountable & stops Africa from becoming a forgotten theater of Russian brutality. Silence enables more atrocities. We must speak out.

Deceived into joining the Russian military by a fake job offer, Sierra Leonean POW Richard Kanu still prefers Russia to his homeland. He says he’d “100% choose to go back to Russia.” Ukraine says Russia has recruited nearly 3,000 African fighters, with over 300 killed.

I told Members of the European Parliament that Africa is emerging as a launchpad for Russian influence operations targeting Europe. Drawing on years of reporting on disinformation campaigns, I presented evidence of Russian networks in Africa now actively targeting elections in Europe.

Africa is becoming a launchpad for Russian influence operations aimed at Europe. Journalist Philip Obaji laid out the evidence before MEPs: disinformation campaigns, manipulated migration routes, and networks that now target elections on both continents. euperspectives.eu/2026/06/from...

Russia has recruited thousands of young foreigners into its army to fight in Ukraine amid severe manpower shortages caused by over a million Russian troops killed or wounded. Many signed up to support their families but were misled into believing they would not see active combat

The African men transported to Ukraine to fight Russia’s war

Took time in Paris to speak about the activities of Russian paramilitaries involved in the rape of dozens of girls and massacre of hundreds of civilians in West & Central Africa. Also explained how Russia targets European politics using hundreds of trolls operating in Africa.

Told Austrian TV how Russian fighters in Africa have committed atrocities while propping up juntas & how they’re weaponizing the continent as a launchpad for disinformation ops flooding Europe with lies to sow chaos and division. Africa is paying in blood. Europe in instability

In Vienna, I took time to explain to diplomats, human rights campaigners, and civil society leaders how Russia’s African troll armies don’t just stir trouble locally but flood social media and diaspora channels with coordinated narratives designed to hit Europe where it hurts.

Over the past weeks in Europe, I’ve been sounding the alarm in meetings & forums: Russia’s hybrid war isn’t just in Ukraine or Africa, it’s already on European soil. From sabotage plots to disinformation and proxy forces destabilizing the continent, the threat is real and growing

I told young people in Esslingen, Germany, how Russian paramilitaries operate in Africa. I explained how these mercenaries have massacred hundreds of civilians, raped dozens of girls and tortured so many boys. I warned that if we overlooked this, someday it could happen in Europe

Here’s how I walked into the English-language TV studio at France 24 in Paris to speak about crimes, including rape of children and massacre of civilians, by Russian paramilitaries deployed across West and Central Africa.

Russian disinformation operations flooded Germany with fake videos, AI deepfakes and migrant panic ahead of the 2025 federal election, aiming to sow chaos, boost pro-Kremlin voices & weaken support for Ukraine. Europe must wake up. The Kremlin is playing the long game.

Russia has a plan to cause trouble in Europe using trolls from Africa. They are setting up troll farms in countries like Ghana & Nigeria. These trolls spread lies in the media, aimed at creating division, fear, and chaos so they can weaken Europe’s power. The EU must wake up.

For years, I have sought to amplify the stories of survivors of massacres, victims of torture and rape, families torn apart by exploitation & violence at the hands of Wagner mercenaries. These are not abstract atrocities. They are the lived realities of miners, women & children

I was proudly accompanied by Lord Mayor Matthias Klopfer, Deputy Mayor Yalcin Bayraktar, members of the German Parliament, Sebastian Schäfer and David Preisendanz and member of the state parliament of Baden-Württemberg, Stephan Köthe in signing the city of Esslingen’s golden book

Last night, the city of Esslingen honored me with the prestigious Theodor Haecker Prize for “extraordinary courage and journalistic integrity” that “has brought to light the influence and crimes of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, in the Central African Republic and in Mali.”

Proud to spend time with some of the brightest students in Esslingen, Germany, and with the city’s Lord Mayor Matthias Klopfer. Spoke about how Russian disinformation targets democracy in Germany and parts of Europe by amplifying societal divisions on issues like migration and energy

Young people across the world must join the fight against Russian disinformation because it is a hybrid war weapon flooding our feeds with lies, from fueling coups in Africa to destabilizing democracies in Europe, all to exploit our continent, divide us & weaken the global order