Vladimir Putin using fake Facebook ads promising film roles to recruit soldiers for Russia? All about the ‘global casting call’ luring youngsters

A job advertisement promised African men an opportunity to appear in a new movie and potentially “change your life.” Behind the supposed casting call, however, investigators say there was something far more dangerous: a path towards joining Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia-linked recruitment networks are allegedly using misleading advertisements for acting, construction and security work to target people in Africa and other regions. According to an investigation reported by The Sun, some users who responded to apparently ordinary job offers were redirected to websites promoting Russian military contracts.

The findings raise fresh questions about how Russia is attracting foreign recruits as President Vladimir Putin seeks personnel for the continuing war.

Fake movie casting call targeted African men

One advertisement described itself as a “global casting call” seeking African male actors for a movie project. The accompanying picture reportedly showed three Black men wearing military-style vests, but investigators concluded that the image had been created using artificial intelligence.


The advert appeared through a Facebook page based in Germany, The Sun reported. Other promotions offered civilian-sounding jobs, assistance obtaining Russian documents or lucrative security work.

A separate advertisement sponsored by an account called “IRC Russian Bear” showed a Black soldier with Russian flags attached to his uniform. It reportedly promised an immediate signing payment of about £11,000, followed by a monthly salary of approximately £2,200.

“A chance to change your life,” the advertisement said.

Investigation identified 89 recruitment websites

The claims originate from research by Code for Africa, a nonprofit network specialising in data journalism and digital investigations.

Researchers identified 89 websites, seven social-media profiles and 39 messaging accounts or channels connected to the recruitment ecosystem. The network allegedly targeted users through online advertisements and commonly used search terms.

The investigation did not establish that all the digital resources belonged to one organisation. Instead, it identified several competing recruitment brands, including Military Staff Agency, Work in Russia, IRC Russian Bear and Work Crew Agency.

Some websites reportedly displayed the logos of Western media organisations, including the BBC, creating the false impression that well-known companies had endorsed or reported positively on the services.

Western technology reportedly supported the network

One of the investigation’s most striking findings concerned the technology powering the recruitment operation.

According to The Sun, the main recruitment website was hosted on a server in Amsterdam. Other sites reportedly used artificial-intelligence tools developed by American or Swedish companies.

Software provided by an Austrian company was allegedly used to collect information submitted by prospective applicants before the data was transferred to Moscow.

Code for Africa argued that this created a troubling contradiction: recruitment supporting Russia’s war was being promoted and managed with technology originating in countries publicly opposed to the invasion.

Researchers also claimed that Google’s AI-generated search summaries presented different levels of warning depending on the language used. Risks were allegedly highlighted more clearly in European languages than in some of the languages spoken by prospective foreign recruits.

How many Africans are fighting for Russia?

Ukraine estimated in February 2026 that more than 1,780 people from 36 African countries were fighting for Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Moscow of using deception to recruit them.

Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously maintained that Kenyan nationals serving with Russia had joined voluntarily.

Reports from Kenya, Zimbabwe and other countries have nevertheless described people being promised civilian employment before allegedly being pressured or forced into military service. Some reportedly arrived in Russia without knowing that the contracts they were expected to sign involved deployment to Ukraine.

The latest investigation does not prove that Russia President Vladimir Putin personally directed the advertisements. It does, however, document a sprawling Russia-linked digital system allegedly designed to make military recruitment look like an opportunity for employment, travel or even movie stardom.

FAQs

Is Russia using fake casting calls to recruit African fighters?

Code for Africa identified an advertisement presented as a movie casting call that allegedly directed prospective applicants towards Russian military recruitment.

Did Vladimir Putin personally organise the advertisements?

The investigation did not present evidence that Vladimir Putin personally organised the ads. It linked the digital network to multiple Russia- and Belarus-connected recruitment brands.