Dan Chege: How I Escaped the Russia-Ukraine War by Pretending to Be Mad

Kenyans have reported being misled into joining Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine under false pretences, with several individuals recounting their experiences of being promised civilian jobs, only to be forced into combat.

Dan Chege, one of the affected individuals, told Citizen Digital that he accepted what he believed to be a driving job in Russia. However, upon arrival, he was made to sign documents in Russian, a language he could not understand. He later discovered that the papers he had signed were enlistment forms for the Russian military. 

“We were taken to a camp and ordered to wear military uniforms. When I tried to explain that I had come to Russia for a driving job, I was told that’s not what I had signed up for,” he said.

Rather than beginning a civilian job, Chege was sent to a military training facility where he and other recruits were trained in combat skills, including handling weapons. Within weeks, they were deployed to the front lines in Ukraine. 

Chege described the situation as dangerous and overwhelming, with death being a constant threat. Of the 11 Kenyans who had been recruited alongside him, he is the only one who survived.

The ordeal left Chege both physically injured and emotionally traumatised. He survived a landmine explosion that killed his colleagues and damaged his feet. Throughout the time he spent on the front lines, Chege kept in touch with his wife in Kenya, sending images and videos that documented his suffering and warned her not to expect his safe return.

In a desperate bid to escape, Chege pretended to suffer from mental instability, firing shots into the air until his behaviour was reported to his commanders. This led to his removal from the battlefield and confinement in a psychiatric facility. From there, he managed to convince a doctor to accompany him to the Kenyan embassy in Moscow, where an embassy staff member provided shelter and helped arrange his return to Kenya. 

Chege’s mother, who sold her only cow to buy him a plane ticket, played a vital role in his repatriation. Chege now describes his survival as miraculous, attributing his rescue to the compassion of the embassy official who helped him. He also cautioned that other Kenyans may still be at risk of being tricked into similar situations.