Two More Ugandans Killed Fighting in Russia–Ukraine War

Three Ugandan nationals are now confirmed dead after being recruited to fight for Russian forces in Ukraine, with two new deaths revealed in an investigative report released last month.

The report, titled “The Business of Despair” and authored by Swiss NGO INPACT, was released on February 11, 2026. It shows that seven Ugandan nationals were recruited to fight on the Russian side in Ukraine, and at least three have not come back.

The two newly confirmed casualties are Michael Atuhaire, 44, and Ashraf Damulira, 38. Their deaths were recorded in the INPACT report, with identities confirmed through military registration records obtained by investigators.

They join Edson Kamwesigye, who became the first Ugandan confirmed killed in the conflict in early February. Kamwesigye, born June 19, 1980, was from Kibombo village, Nyakaina parish, Buyanja sub-county in Rukungiri district. He died in Kupiansk, in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, one of the most heavily contested areas of the front. His death was confirmed through identification documents and photographs that spread on social media.

His widow gave a tearful interview to NTV, describing how she found out through images circulating online. His family has been seeking help from the government to bring his body home.

That help has not come. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem told the Daily Monitor on February 8 that the government could not facilitate the repatriation of bodies of Ugandans killed while fighting abroad, saying the Ministry bore no responsibility in such cases.

Uganda’s Embassy in Moscow redirected inquiries to the Embassy in Berlin. The Berlin embassy did not respond. For the families of Atuhaire, Damulira and Kamwesigye, that silence has meant their loved ones remain in a foreign country they were lured into under false promises.

The recruitment of these men follows a pattern seen across Africa. At the peak of illegal recruitment in August 2025, Ugandan security services intercepted a group of citizens being taken to the front through Moscow. Two suspected Russian recruiters were arrested and then let go without charge.

Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba then posted a warning on X: “Ugandans are forbidden from being recruited to participate in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Anyone who dares will be punished severely.” The deaths of Atuhaire and Damulira, recorded after that statement, show the networks kept operating.

The INPACT report found that across Africa, 316 recruits have been killed fighting for Russia. The average soldier survived only six months after signing up, and more than 50 were dead within their first month. Uganda’s three dead leave behind families with no bodies, no answers and a government that has chosen to look the other way.