Ukrainian authorities say they have recovered the bodies of two Kenyan men who were killed while fighting for Russian forces in eastern Ukraine, adding to a growing list of foreign nationals drawn into the war.

In a statement released this week, Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence said the bodies were found near the city of Lyman in the Donetsk region, a front-line area that has seen intense fighting.

The men were identified as Ombwori Denis Bagaka, born on January 30, 1987, and Wahome Simon Gititu, born on May 21, 1991. Ukrainian officials said identification was made using passports and personal documents recovered at the scene.

Their remains were found close to another Kenyan, Clinton Nyapara Mogesa, who had been killed in the same area during earlier fighting.

According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, all three men were recruited outside Kenya. Officials said they had been living and working in Qatar, where they were approached by security companies promising steady and well-paid jobs.

“After recruitment, they were transferred to Russia and later deployed to the Donbas region,” the agency said, without naming the recruiters.

Ukrainian intelligence reported that Bagaka and Mogesa arrived at a recruitment centre in Yaroslavl, Russia, on September 27, 2025. Gititu is said to have joined them a month later, on October 28.

After a short period of training, the three were sent to the front and assigned to assault operations near Lyman.

Ukraine says the men were killed as Russian units attempted to advance through what it described as a heavily defended area. Ukrainian forces engaged the group during the assault.

“The Russian command did not provide support or evacuation during the operation,” the Defence Intelligence statement said.

Mogesa’s body was discovered several days earlier at a former Russian position in the Donetsk region. Ukrainian officials said his remains had not been evacuated by Russian forces, and that his family had not received formal notification from Russian authorities at the time of recovery.

The deaths echo similar cases involving Kenyans who travelled abroad in search of work, only to end up caught in the conflict.

On Thursday, another Kenyan family held a memorial service without a body after their son was killed while fighting in the war on Christmas Day. Relatives of Charles Wangari gathered in Mukurweini, Nyeri County, on February 5, mourning without the chance to bury him.

Wangari, a former footballer from Laikipia West, had reportedly left Kenya hoping to build a future in Europe. His family says his plans collapsed after he became entangled in the war.

Neither Russian authorities nor Kenyan officials have publicly commented on the latest claims by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence.

As the conflict drags on, these cases are prompting renewed concern about the recruitment of foreign nationals and the lack of clear information given to families when things go wrong.