I'm Kenyan, don't shoot': Kenyan athlete says he was duped into the Russian army

Evans Kibet, a 36-year-old Kenyan long-distance runner, appears in a video released this week by a Ukrainian army brigade pleading for help and telling viewers he was duped into joining Russia's army. In the clip, Kibet says he went to Russia to race and was recruited into military service after a host promised opportunities he believed would help his career. He says he fears for his life and wants to return home to see his 16-year-old daughter. The video was posted by the 57th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade, which said the interview was filmed with Kibet's consent, though the BBC could not independently verify the footage.

Context matters: Foreign recruits in the Russian army are not common, but they do occur. The brigade's post described the clip as showing how foreigners can be treated, and Ukraine's POW authorities have noted the presence of non-Russian fighters among captured troops. Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine's spokesperson on POW treatment, told BBC that recruits have come from Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka, among others, and that many of these individuals come from poorer countries and end up fighting on Russia's side in various ways. Some are deceived—promised jobs at factories—while others sign up voluntarily; but very few are captured alive, with many killed or seriously injured, Yatsenko said.

Back in Kenya, Kibet's family and friends were stunned by the video. His cousin Edith Chesoi said she had watched it repeatedly, describing herself as traumatized and unable to sleep. His younger brother, Isaac Kipyego, recalled him as a humble, soft-spoken man who was a pillar of the family and a budding runner.

Kibet grew up in a farming family in Kenya's Mount Elgon region and trained in Iten, the high-altitude town famous for producing Olympians. He competed in smaller 10-kilometer and half-marathon road races in Europe and Asia rather than securing major sponsorships, according to relatives. Friends say he had been financially strapped; in March a training partner tried to arrange races in Poland, but the team was full. Later, a sports agent offered him a trip to Russia to race, and he seized the chance, hoping it would finally lift him out of poverty. His family says he was excited about racing in Russia and had high hopes for his career.

On the video, Kibet says he traveled to Russia as a visitor, not for a military job. He says that after about two weeks his host asked him to stay longer and promised a job. The man produced papers written in Russian, and Kibet signed them, later realizing they would bind him to military service. He says the host took his phone and passport, and he was told to go wherever the papers directed. 'That signing ruined my life,' he says.

From there, Kibet describes being driven to a military camp, given a week of basic training, and shown how to handle an automatic rifle. He says no one spoke English, so instructions came through gestures. He says he never fired a weapon and then attempted to escape, discarding his equipment and wandering for two days through a forest near the Ukrainian town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv region. He says he approached Ukrainian soldiers with his hands up and pleaded, 'I am a Kenyan, please don't shoot me.' Ukrainian troops detained him, and he says they bound him but treated him cautiously.

Ukrainian authorities have not verified every detail of Kibet's account, but they have acknowledged the broader pattern of foreign recruits ending up on Russia's side. His relatives say they are grateful he is in Ukrainian custody rather than in Russia, but they are anxious about his safety and future.

Kenya's foreign ministry had not immediately responded to requests for comment about Kibet. Ukrainian officials, however, said Kyiv is open to negotiating repatriation if the Kenyan government expresses interest. Yatsenko noted that while many African states have shown little interest in taking back foreign POWs, Ukraine remains willing to discuss transfers on a case-by-case basis. The family has a simple appeal: bring him home. They said if Kibet made a mistake, they want forgiveness, and their priority is his safety. As family members navigate questions about accountability and rehabilitation, they say their hope is for his safe return to Kenya and a chance to resume life with his daughter.

The BBC has not independently verified every detail of the interview, and the Ukrainian brigade's posting notes that the video was shown with Kibet's consent. If confirmed, the case would highlight the risks faced by foreigners who travel for sport and find themselves drawn into armed conflict, a reality acknowledged by Kyiv as it weighs potential repatriation talks with other countries.

In Kyiv, officials emphasize that Ukraine is willing to discuss terms for returning foreign POWs on a case-by-case basis, while indicating that the broader pattern involves a mix of deceit and voluntary enlistment among recruits from poorer nations. The Kenyan government continues to monitor the situation, with anxiety for Kibet's safety tempered by the prospect of a possible return to his home country.

Overall, Kibet's appearance in the Ukrainian video underscores the complexities facing athletes who travel abroad for opportunities that may not materialize, and the unforeseen consequences when those journeys intersect with war. As family members await formal confirmation of his status and any potential repatriation, they reiterate their primary wish: that he returns home safely to his daughter and to a life beyond the world of international racing.