The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has refuted allegations that African students, including Nigerians, are being pressured to join the conflict in Ukraine in exchange for visa extensions.
According to reports, Russia allegedly sought to recruit thousands of migrants and foreign students to support its military, using tactics similar to the Wagner mercenary group.
European officials claimed that the Kremlin threatened to withhold visa renewals unless African students and young workers enlisted in the military.
Yevgeny Primakov of Rossotrudnichestvo estimated that there are 35,000-37,000 African students in Russia.
The embassy dismissed these allegations as false and baseless, warning that they could harm educational cooperation between Russia and Nigeria. It stated that no Nigerian student associations in Russia had confirmed these claims and that Nigerian students did not face any difficulties in extending their visas.
The embassy commended Nigeria’s Foreign Ministry and the Nigerian Students Association in Moscow for countering the misinformation, and pledged to continue fostering friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria.
“The Embassy of the Russian Federation emphasizes that such news is not only false but also damages Russian-Nigerian educational cooperation by misleading numerous scholarship and grant applicants and their partners, who could be extremely concerned by such fabrications.
“The Embassy states that Nigerian students face no difficulties in extending their visas while continuing their studies in Russia.
Numerous associations of Nigerian students in Russia have not reported any issues in obtaining the necessary documentation to continue their stay in the country.
“The Embassy welcomes the official press release of the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter and expresses gratitude to the Ministry and the Association of Nigerian Students in Moscow for their efforts in debunking the fake news aimed at undermining the friendship and cooperation between Russia and Nigeria,” the statement said.
