Kenyan runner, Evans Kibet, 36, has said he was deceived and forced into joining the Russian army before ending up in Ukraine, where he now pleads for his life and fears death if sent back to Russia.
With tears in his eyes, Kibet waves his hands toward an unseen interviewer in a video released on Wednesday by a Ukrainian army brigade.
“I will die there,” he says, wearing a red sports top, with the brigade’s flag displayed behind him.
The aspiring long-distance runner claims he was tricked into joining the Russian army and is desperate to return home to see his 16-year-old daughter.
In a Facebook post accompanying the video, the 57th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade described Kibet’s story as an example of how Russia treats foreign recruits, adding that “he had fought on the side of the enemy, so whether to believe the words and tears is up to your discretion.”
The brigade said the interview was filmed with Kibet’s consent, though the BBC has not independently verified this.
Though foreign recruits in the Russian army are not unheard of, it is rare for a captive foreigner to speak publicly on video.
Citizens from countries including Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, and Sri Lanka are also currently held in Ukrainian prisoner-of-war camps, Petro Yatsenko, Ukraine’s spokesperson on the treatment of prisoners, told the BBC.
“Most of these individuals come from poorer countries and end up on the Russian side in different ways. Some are deceived – promised jobs at factories – while others join the war voluntarily. It is important to understand that very few are captured alive; most are either killed or seriously injured,” he added.
Back in Kenya, Kibet’s family and friends are in shock after seeing the video. His cousin Edith Chesoi said, after a heavy sigh, that she has replayed the video repeatedly.
“I am so traumatised. I didn’t sleep at night. I don’t even know what to say.”
Kibet’s younger brother, Isaac Kipyego, described him as “humble guy and a man with a few words” as well as a pillar and advisor to the family.
They know him as someone dedicated to his sport.
“I love running, I love running,” Kibet says on the Ukrainian video. It was this passion that may have led him to become an unwitting Russian recruit.
Kibet grew up in a farming family from the Mount Elgon area in western Kenya and trained in Iten, the high-altitude town famous for producing Olympians and world champions. Though he never reached the global stage, he competed in smaller 10km and half-marathon races in Europe and Asia, according to family and friends.
“Kibet has been running since he was a child,” his brother said. “He’s always been talented. Running was his life.”
Despite his dedication, athletics had not brought him financial stability. In March, he asked a training partner, Elias Kiptum, to help him race in Poland, but the team was already full.
“I guess that’s how he ended up in Russia,” Kiptum told the BBC.
Later in the year, a sports agent offered him a trip to Russia to participate in races, and Kibet jumped at the opportunity.
“He was very excited when he told me he was going to race in Russia,” his brother said. “Even I was happy for him. We had high expectations.”
His cousin, Chesoi, who escorted him to the bus park for the first leg of the journey in late July, said he carried only “a small-sized suitcase.” Kibet told his family he would be gone for just two weeks.
On the Ukrainian video, Kibet says he went to Russia as a visitor, not for military service.
“Then, after a fortnight, his host asked him if he would like to stay longer. I said: ‘Yes, but the problem is that my visa is expired’. He said: ‘No, I can do something for you.'” He said the man then offered him a job.
“In the evening, he came with some papers written in Russian. He told me: ‘This is the job I want you to do.’ I didn’t know it was a military job.”
Kibet says he signed the papers, after which the man took his phone and passport. “And that is how everything went wrong… that signing ruined my life.”
He recalls being taken to a military camp, where he was told: “‘Either you go to fight or we’ll kill you.'” A week of basic training followed, during which he learned to handle an automatic rifle. With none of his commanders speaking English, instructions came through shoves and gestures.
Kibet insists he never fought in combat. On his way to what would have been his first mission, he abandoned his equipment and escaped, wandering for two days through a forest near Vovchansk in Ukraine’s north-eastern Kharkiv region before approaching Ukrainian soldiers.
“I went there with my hands up,” he says, repeating the gesture. “I said: ‘I am a Kenyan, please don’t shoot me.’ Everyone pointed their guns at me, but I told them to calm down. The commander came, they tied me. I told them: ‘No, I am unarmed, I don’t want anything. I’m here to save my life.'”
While Kibet’s family remains in shock, there is relief he is now in Ukrainian custody.
“We feel that he’s a bit safe [with them] rather than being in Russia,” his brother said. The family is urging Kenyan authorities to intervene. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to respond.
“If the government of his country of origin expresses interest in his repatriation, Ukraine is open to negotiations about transferring him home,” Yatsenko said, noting that most African states show little interest in repatriating citizens captured in the conflict.
For Kibet’s loved ones, safety is all that matters.
“If he made a mistake, let them forgive him. We only want him back,” his brother said.
