A 36-year-old Harare man has appeared in court accused of recruiting Zimbabweans to fight for the Russian military in the war against Ukraine.
Courts& JudiciaryEdward Kachingwe was on Monday remanded in custody after a Harare magistrate ruled that he should apply for bail at the High Court.
Harare magistrate Jesse Kufa advised the accused that his bail application falls within the jurisdiction of the High Court due to the seriousness of the charges.
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The man faces two counts of trafficking in persons and operating an employment agency without registration.
According to the State, the accused allegedly worked with a Russian national identified only as "Roman", who remains at large, to recruit Zimbabweans to join the Russian army and fight in the ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
"The accused... connived with his accomplice only known as 'Roman'... and then started to unlawfully recruit victims to join the Russian army where they will be forced to fight in the armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukrainian Forces," the prosecution alleges.
Prosecutors say detectives from the CID Counter Terrorism Unit received information that the accused had recruited five victims before moving in to arrest him.
He was arrested on June 27 at Harare's Roadport Bus Terminus while allegedly escorting one of the recruits to board a bus to South Africa, from where the journey to Russia was expected to continue.
"The accused recruited five victims and he was arrested whilst in the company of the victim at Roadport Regional Bus Terminus... facilitating his travel to South Africa on his way to Russia," the State says.
Police allege they recovered electronic airline tickets, Russian electronic visas and hotel booking reservations for the five alleged victims from the accused.
"Electronic tickets, Russian E-visa and hotel booking reservations for the victims were found in possession of the accused," the prosecution states.
The State opposed bail.
The case comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, continues into its fifth year, with both sides suffering heavy military losses. Reports of foreign nationals being recruited to fight in the conflict have emerged from several countries, prompting heightened scrutiny by law enforcement agencies.
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The accused was remanded in custody and advised to seek bail at the High Court. He has not yet been asked to plead.
