Ukrainian forces capture Togolese citizens fighting for Russia – Togo’s Foreign Ministry says they were lured under false pretenses
Ukrainian servicemembers have taken prisoner citizens of Togo, a West African country, who had been fighting on the side of the Russian army. Among them are young students allegedly lured by Moscow under false pretenses.
This was reported by Censor.NET with reference to the press service of the Togolese Foreign Ministry.
"The Togolese authorities recently received reports of the capture and detention of Togolese nationals by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This occurred during their participation in military operations on behalf of the Russian Armed Forces as part of the ongoing conflict," the ministry said.
The statement notes that most of those captured are "young students" who traveled to Russia after accepting offers of scholarships at Russian universities.
The ministry urges Togolese citizens to "verify the authenticity of scholarship offers before making any commitments and to contact the competent services to obtain reliable and safe information before any travel abroad, in particular to Russia."
"The Ministry is actively cooperating with a number of diplomatic partners to clarify the situation and, if possible, provide the necessary assistance to the victims," the ministry added.
The Republic of Togo, a former French colony, is located in western Africa, bordering Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.
