Uganda’s Embassy in Moscow has reported that 14 Ugandans recruited into the Russian army have died, while 16 others are presumed dead but their bodies have not been found.
The information was contained in an October 17, 2026, letter written by Uganda’s Ambassador to Russia, Moses Kizige, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, following a request for information from Russian authorities.
In the letter, Kizige said Russia responded to the embassy’s inquiry on October 8 through a diplomatic communication known as a note verbale, providing information on Ugandans whose status the mission had sought to establish.
The ambassador listed 11 Ugandans whose deaths were confirmed in the response and said three others, Baker Mwesigye, Alex Mutesigensi and Edson Kamwesigye, had previously been confirmed dead by Russia’s Ministry of Defence. Their registered relatives had not yet been informed, he said.
The 11 named in the latest response were Ronald Bugiri, John Male, Francis Ngabirano, Innocent Agaba, Levi Kasule, Bigirwa Mugisa, Richard Twine, Moses Junior Mawejje, Pius Byamugisha, David Buyondo and Godfrey Kamugira.
The embassy also listed 16 Ugandans whose whereabouts remain unknown. Kizige described them as “effectively dead, but their bodies could not be located anywhere.”
They are Maxima Tindyebwa, Darius Twebaze, Alex Katurebe, Miro Mukasa, Eric Kwesiga, Kosia Kusima, Johnson Kakuru, Edwin Musasizi, Vincent Musisi, Nelson Mugyenyi, Alex Akanshabira, David Kiwanuka Sekisibo, Henry Rwaziiri Bamutiina, Stephen Muhame, William Kyoffa and Nelson Lukwita.
The correspondence did not specify when the reported deaths occurred or provide details of the circumstances in which the individuals died or disappeared.
Five Ugandans still serving
The embassy identified five Ugandans who were still serving in the Russian army and said they would be discharged when their contracts expire.
They are Rogers Mwebaze, Evarist Barigye, Honest Mugabi, Eric Kisakye and Ronald Samula Tenywa.
Another Ugandan, Robert Tumwebaze, was reported to have been dismissed from the Russian armed forces.
According to Kizige, Tumwebaze was taken to the embassy from a military hospital in Nizhny Novgorod but disappeared at a railway station while returning to his base without an armed escort.
The ambassador asked Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the families of the deceased so they could begin processing benefits due to them.
He also urged families seeking information about relatives believed to be in Russia to submit their passport details to the Ugandan embassy in Moscow to facilitate efforts to establish their whereabouts.
Parliament seeks answers over 121 Ugandans
The embassy’s report comes amid growing concern in Uganda over nationals reportedly recruited into the Russian military and deployed in the war against Ukraine.
On October 12, Rukiga County MP Patrick Katabazi Kiconco asked Parliament to investigate the circumstances under which 121 Ugandans ended up in the Russian army.
Katabazi told Parliament that some Ugandans had died, while others were reportedly being held as prisoners of war, injured or receiving treatment in Russian hospitals.
He said some had travelled to Russia after reportedly being promised civilian jobs but subsequently found themselves in military service, with some deployed to the frontline in Ukraine.
The MP tabled a list of 48 Ugandans he said had reportedly been killed on the frontline, although their deaths had not yet been verified. He also presented details of three Ugandans reportedly held as prisoners of war in Ukraine and seven others receiving treatment in Russian hospitals.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth told Katabazi that the government had taken note of the matter and would respond.
The embassy’s figures differ from those presented in Parliament, where MP Patrick Katabazi Kiconco tabled a list of 48 Ugandans he said had reportedly been killed in Ukraine but whose deaths were yet to be verified. The available information does not establish how many, if any, of those cases overlap with the embassy’s list.
