Tunisians drawn into Russia's war in Ukraine, investigation says

At least seven Tunisian nationals have been enlisted in the Russian armed forces since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to an investigation by the Tunisian media outlet Inkyfada.

The investigation, published on 8 April by Malek Khadhraoui and Jihen Nasri, says some of those identified were students or migrants in Russia who later entered military service after arrest, detention or legal pressure.

One Tunisian is reported to have died and others remain missing, Inkyfada said, citing a February 2026 report by INPACT, the Swiss based investigative group also known as All Eyes on Wagner.

INPACT's wider findings, also reported internationally, said more than 1,400 Africans from 35 countries had signed contracts with the Russian army between January 2023 and September 2025. More than 300 were reported killed.

The report comes after Tunisian journalist Hamza Belloumi's programme Al Haqaeq Al Arbaa highlighted claims that young Tunisians were being drawn into the Russia Ukraine war.

Inkyfada focused on the cases of two Tunisians, identified as Aymen and Montassar, who travelled to Russia to study. Their families say they later lost contact with them after both men faced criminal proceedings in Russia.

In Aymen's case, the outlet said a Russian court suspended criminal proceedings after he signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence. Inkyfada cited a court ruling from Voronezh stating that he had entered into a contract to serve in the Russian armed forces.

The investigation also said a military certificate confirmed his enlistment for one year, and that a later movement order sent him on a combat mission to Luhansk, a Russian occupied region of eastern Ukraine, in September 2025.

Montassar left Tunisia in 2021 to study computer science in Russia, according to the report. His family told Inkyfada he was arrested, sentenced to prison and later signed a military contract after pressure in detention.

A military document cited by Inkyfada said he was ordered in August 2025 to report to Klintsy, in Russia's Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border.

The figures cited by Inkyfada come from a database analysed by INPACT using data obtained through the Ukrainian project "I Want to Live" and cross checked through digital traces.

The authors of the INPACT report acknowledged that the list may be incomplete and may contain errors in nationality.

Inkyfada also referred to a Tunisian man born in 1995 who was reported dead after appearing in a document presented as a list of missing personnel from Russian military units. The outlet said it could not independently verify the authenticity of that specific document.

Russia says foreign nationals can legally join its armed forces if they are legally present in the country and sign a voluntary contract.

The Russian embassy in Tunisia told Inkyfada that it does not conclude enlistment contracts for the Russian armed forces, saying the matter falls under the Russian Ministry of Defence.

In a statement cited by Inkyfada, the Russian embassy in Kenya said Russian authorities had never engaged in illegal recruitment into the armed forces.

The war has also drawn at least one Tunisian volunteer to the Ukrainian side. In a separate article published on 2 June, Inkyfada profiled "Hannibal", whom it described as the only known Tunisian volunteer fighting for Ukraine.

The cases raise questions about the vulnerability of foreign students and migrants in Russia, especially those facing detention, immigration problems or criminal charges.

They also leave families in Tunisia with limited information. In the cases described by Inkyfada, relatives relied on court documents, military papers, voice messages and online records to understand where their sons had been sent.

The Tunisian authorities have not publicly announced a full investigation into the cases reported by Inkyfada.