After hundreds of young men gathered outside its complex in Addis Ababa this week, declaring they wanted to participate in the Ukraine war effort, the Russian embassy in Ethiopia has answered.
Soldiers were rumoured to be being recruited.
"We regret to tell you that the embassy does not accept any applications for enlistment into the Russian Federation's Armed Forces," said a message on Twitter.
The embassy did thank the Ethiopian government for "help offered to the Russian Federation at the United Nations while voting on Ukraine-related resolutions," according to the embassy.
Ethiopia was one of the countries that did not attend a United Nations meeting to vote on a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The vote was abstained by 17 African nations.