The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (UDI) has identified two Nigerian men, Hamzat Kazeem Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Udoka, killed as Russian mercenaries during assaults in Luhansk. UDI announced their deaths in a statement on Thursday, with photographs revealing their pre-death military poses and one family image. According to the statement, both men served in the 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment (military unit 91701) of the 4th guards kantemirovskaya tank division of the armed forces of the Russian federation. UDI said that they signed contracts with the Russian Army in the second half of 2025: Kolawole on August 29 and Udoka on September 28. Both Nigerians, the report added, were killed in late November during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2026 03:18 UTC