Daniel Angel Masie Nchama had no idea what he was getting into when Russian recruiters sent the young man from Equatorial Guinea into battle in war-ravaged Ukraine.
“I realised we were at the front when a missile struck us,” he told AFP.
Now back home at his parents’ modest house in the capital Malabo, the 22-year-old former IT student recalled the freezing cold, hunger, fear and finally, flight — achieved with the help of his country’s diplomatic efforts.
Dreaming of finding a life abroad, he was convinced by a Cameroonian named “Fabrice” to head to Russia.
He left in December 2025, believing he was going to undergo military training, with the promise of work as a bodyguard.
On arrival, he and the other prospective recruits were asked to sign documents in Russian, a language none of them spoke.
– ‘Basic training’ –
“We said
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