Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday they had found the bodies of two Nigerian nationals who had been fighting alongside Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.

In a statement, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said Hamza Kazin Kolawole and Mbah Stephen Odoka had served in Russia’s 423rd Guards Motor Rifle Regiment.

The agency said the two men signed contracts with the Russian army in the second half of 2025, with Kolawole signing on Aug. 29 and Odoka on Sept. 28.

Ukrainian intelligence said neither had received military training. The Associated Press reported that Kolawole left behind a wife and three children in Nigeria.

The bodies were found in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas area.

There was no immediate comment from Russia on the Ukrainian statement.