Togo nationals, West African countries, were “captured and detained” by the Ukrainian armed forces after participating in military operations alongside the Russian armed forces, “the Togolese authorities announced on Friday.
In a statement consulted by AFP, the Togolese Foreign Ministry said that “the majority of compatriots, including young students, had left Togo in the so -called scholarships offered by structures, saying based in Russia”.
The ministry called on citizens, “in particular young people who wish to continue their studies abroad, to the greatest vigilance”.
Warning
-He “invites them to verify the authenticity of scholarship offers before any commitment, and to get closer to the competent services or any other ministry concerned … to obtain reliable and safe information before any departure abroad, especially in Russia”.
In March, the Martin Luther King (MMLK) movement, the main human rights organization in Togo, alerted the authorities to the case of a Togolese student captured on the battlefield and imprisoned in Ukraine.
“Having received his study visa at the Russian Embassy in Cotonou, the compatriot left Togo for Russia on August 21, 2024,” MMLK said in a statement.
“Arrived in Russia, he was forced to join the army to go to the front in Ukraine. It was there that he was seriously injured, captured and thrown into prison. ”
