Full list: Russia releases names of Ugandans killed on Ukraine war front

Russia has confirmed the deaths of 11 Ugandans who joined its military operations in Ukraine and identified another 16 whose whereabouts remain unknown but presumed dead.

The revelations are contained in a letter dated October 17, 2026, written by Uganda's head of mission in Moscow, Ambassador Moses Kizige, to the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kampala.

The letter provides one of the clearest official accounts of the fate of Ugandans recruited into the Russian army since families began appealing to the government to trace their missing relatives.

Russian authorities, according to the document, have confirmed 11 deaths, classified 16 other Ugandans as missing and identified five who remain in military service. Another Ugandan was reportedly discharged from the Russian armed forces.

The embassy warned that the 16 missing Ugandans were also believed to have died, although their bodies had not been recovered.

"It is important to note that the persons listed in this category, are effectively dead, but their bodies could not be located anywhere. They are also not known to be prisoners of war," the letter states.

The latest information follows months of desperate appeals from families whose relatives travelled to Russia after allegedly being promised well-paying civilian jobs, only to find themselves fighting in Ukraine.

Ambassador Kizige said he began pursuing the matter in August after receiving several telephone calls from one Innocent Kato, who represented families of Ugandans believed to have joined the Russian military.

Kato supplied passport details of some of the missing Ugandans, which the ambassador verified through Uganda's Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control.

The embassy subsequently contacted the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on August 19, seeking information about the affected Ugandans.

Russia responded on October 8, providing details of those confirmed dead, missing, still serving and discharged.

The ambassador then forwarded the findings to Kampala and requested urgent communication with the affected families.

Full list of 11 Ugandans confirmed dead

According to the Russian government's response reproduced in the embassy letter, the following Ugandans were confirmed dead:

Ronald Bugiri

John Male

Francis Ngabirano

Innocent Agaba

Levi Kasule

Bigirwa Mugisa

Richard Twine

Junior Moses Mawejje

Pius Byamugisha

David Buyondo

Godfrey Kamugira

The diplomatic correspondence does not specify when each person died, where the deaths occurred or whether their remains have been recovered.

Full list of 16 Ugandans missing and presumed dead

The Russian authorities also identified 16 Ugandans whose whereabouts remain unknown.

They are:

Maxima Tindyebwa

Darius Twebaze

Alex Katurebe

Miro Mukasa

Eric Kwesiga

Kosiaa Kusima

Johnson Kakuru

Edwin Musasizi

Vicent Musisi

Nelson Mugyenyi

Alex Akanshabira

David Kiwanuka Ssekisibo

Henry Rwakiziri Bamutina

Stephen Muhame

William Kyoffa

Nelson Lukwita

The embassy said their bodies could not be located and that Russian authorities had not identified them as prisoners of war.

The inclusion of William Kyoffa is particularly significant because his family had previously petitioned the government to establish his whereabouts.

In July, his wife, Jennifer Namuli, appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after losing contact with him.

Kyoffa reportedly left Uganda towards the end of 2025 and was allegedly forced into Russian military service.

His last communication with his family came on February 4, 2026, when he reportedly said he had been issued a gun and was being taken to the frontline in the Donbas region.

His family had sought government intervention to determine whether he was alive and secure his return.

The embassy also identified five Ugandans who remain in the Russian military.

They are:

Rogers Mwebaze

Evarist Barigye

Honest Mugabi

Eric Kisakye

Ronald Samula Tenywa

According to the diplomatic communication, the five are expected to leave military service when their contracts expire.

Ugandan reportedly discharged

Another Ugandan, Robert Tumwebaze, was listed as having been dismissed from the Russian armed forces.

However, the embassy reported that he had disappeared after being transferred from a military hospital in Nizhny Novgorod.

His whereabouts were not established in the letter.

The diplomatic findings come after months of distress among Ugandan families who say their relatives were deceived into travelling to Russia.

In earlier interviews with the media, relatives alleged that recruiters promised their loved ones jobs as security guards and drivers, with attractive salaries.

However, some recruits reportedly discovered after arriving in Russia that they were expected to sign military contracts and undergo training before deployment to Ukraine.

Elizabeth Tabamubi told The Observer that her husband, identified as Byamugisha, travelled to Russia in December 2025 after being promised employment as a security guard.

She said a Russian recruiter identified as Dimitry had offered him and about 30 other Ugandans driving and security jobs.

Within days of arriving, however, her husband reportedly contacted her to say the situation had changed.

He and other recruits were taken to a military camp and subsequently deployed to the battlefield.

Other families described receiving photographs of dead relatives through social media rather than through official diplomatic channels.

The families also complained that promised salaries and benefits had not reached them.

Kato, who has coordinated efforts to trace the missing Ugandans, previously demanded that Russia account for those recruited into its military.

"For those who died, there should be accountability. Russia should account for these people. They were serving under Russia, and it should account for them," he said

In February 2026, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Henry Okello Oryem said Uganda lacked the capacity to repatriate the bodies of citizens who died abroad.

"The government of Uganda does not have the capacity to repatriate the bodies of Ugandans who lose their lives abroad. That is why we advise Ugandans travelling abroad to go through official channels," Oryem said.

His comments followed reports of the death of Edson Kamwesigye, a Ugandan who was reportedly killed while fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Kamwesigye's family had sought government assistance to recover his body.

Earlier reports had also identified Michael Atuhaire and Ashiraf Damulira among Ugandans killed while serving in Russian forces.

Their deaths were documented in a February 2026 investigation into the recruitment of African nationals for the war.

As more families came forward, the government began pursuing diplomatic inquiries.

In a letter dated July 23, 2026, Foreign Affairs permanent secretary Vincent Bagiire directed Ambassador Kizige to investigate allegations that Ugandans had been trafficked to Russia and deployed to the battlefield.