Kenya says it will open talks with Russia over what it describes as the secret and illegal recruitment of its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine, a development that Nairobi says risks damaging long-standing ties between the two countries.

Speaking to the BBC, Musalia Mudavadi, Kenya’s foreign minister, said the practice was “unacceptable and clandestine” and confirmed that the government was seeking firm assurances from Moscow to stop it.Kenya estimates that about 200 of its nationals have been recruited to fight for Russian forces, though officials admit the true figure is hard to pin down because none of those involved travelled through official government channels.

“This becomes a very unfortunate episode in what have otherwise been very positive and cordial relations between our two countries,” Mudavadi told the BBC.According to the foreign minister, Kenya’s engagement with Russia will focus on shutting down illegal recruitment networks and tightening cooperation on visas and labour agreements, with explicit exclusions for any form of military conscription. The Kenyan authorities say they have already closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of deceiving young Kenyans with promises of overseas jobs, only for some to end up on the battlefield.

So far, 27 Kenyans who had been fighting in Russia have been repatriated. Mudavadi said the government was providing psychological support to help them recover from trauma and, in his words, to “de radicalise” them.The human cost of the recruitment drive has become increasingly visible. It remains unclear how many Kenyans have died while fighting for Russian forces, and Russia has not formally responded to reports of Kenyan casualties.Families who have approached the Russian embassy in Nairobi in search of answers say they were turned away. Some relatives told the BBC they have been unable to bury their loved ones because their bodies remain abroad. “Families that we have spoken to say they have not been able to bury their loved ones because their bodies are still on the other end,” Mudavadi said. “It is difficult because it depends on where the body has been found.

Some have been found in Ukraine and we are also working with the government of Ukraine to try and get the remains repatriated.”

Public pressure on the Kenyan government has grown following reports of more bodies being discovered. Some affected families accuse the authorities of failing to regulate and criminalise illegal recruiters early enough.Mudavadi rejected that criticism, insisting the government has acted decisively. “You cannot blame the government for this,” he told the BBC. “Where there are illegal recruitment agencies, we have scrapped them and we continue to scrap them.”

The issue extends beyond Kenya. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that more than 1,400 people from 36 African countries have been recruited to fight for Russia. Ukraine itself has also faced criticism in the past for attempting to recruit foreign nationals, including Africans, to fight on its side.

Ukrainian officials have warned that anyone fighting for Russia will be treated as an enemy combatant and said the only safe way out is to surrender and be held as a prisoner of war.