🌍 Russia is increasingly recruiting Africans to fight against Ukraine as it struggles with a shortage of soldiers — Bloomberg Moscow has sharply stepped up recruitment across African countries in an effort to replenish its battlefield losses. According to Ukrainian intelligence, 699 people from Burundi were recruited into the Russian army in the first nine months of 2026, compared with just 30 in all of 2025. In Zimbabwe, the number jumped from 65 to 530. Recruitment has also increased in Sudan, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Some Africans are lured to Russia with promises of ordinary civilian jobs, only to potentially end up fighting against Ukraine. Several African governments have already raised concerns about these recruitment methods. According to Ukrainian intelligence, 45,959 foreigners from 151 countries have signed contracts with the Russian military since the start of the full-scale invasion, including 5,451 citizens of African nations. Russia claimed it was fighting to “protect Russians” — yet increasingly, it's recruiting people from another continent to fight its war.

🚂🔥 Trump's diesel delivery didn't make it? Fuel train derails in Russia's Urals A major railway accident occurred overnight on October 26 in Russia's Sverdlovsk region. Twenty railcars derailed, with seven fuel tankers catching fire. Local residents reported waking up to the sounds of explosions as a massive column of thick black smoke rose above the crash site. The fire spread across 1,500 square meters. Train traffic on the affected section was suspended due to damage and the closure of an adjacent track.