Tracking trails to Russia :: Mmegi Online

In April 2025, Mmegi was made aware of a meeting at the University of Botswana (UB) in which young women were promised jobs in Russia, paying up to $1,000 per month. Mmegi immediately alerted the local Interpol office, which promised to follow up. Officials now suspect that recruitment was part of larger efforts to lure Africans to Russia. MBONGENI MGUNI & INNOCENT SELATLHWA report

Armed with a recorder, our insider at the recruitment meeting was highly specific in the details he provided. On April 5 at the UB, about 60 youths and their parents gathered for what was billed as an informational session on opportunities in Russia.

The audience was 98 percent female, and this was by design. Flyers distributed at the event indicated that the opportunities were open only to women aged 18 to 22, with at least a secondary school education and without major illnesses.

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