At least 55 Ghanaians have been killed in Russia’s war with Ukraine after being “lured into battle”, Ghana’s foreign minister said following a visit to Kyiv that raised concerns about Russian recruitment of African nationals.
Reports have increased of African men being enticed to go to Russia with promises of work, only to end up on Ukraine’s frontlines, straining relations between Moscow and several African states. Russian officials have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa posted on X that 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into the conflict since 2022, with an estimated 55 killed and two taken prisoner. Standing beside Ablakwa at a media briefing, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said more than 1,780 Africans from 36 countries were serving in the Russian armed forces.
Ablakwa said Ghana, which maintains economic and diplomatic ties with Russia, planned to raise awareness about the recruitment and to dismantle “dark web illegal recruitment schemes operating within our jurisdiction”. “This is not our war and we cannot allow our youth to become human shields for others,” he said.
The minister said Ghana would step up public education and work to track and dismantle illegal online recruitment networks. He added that the two captured Ghanaians had warned others not to be swayed by financial incentives to join the fighting.
South Africa this week reported two citizens had died on the frontlines; these cases are separate from a group of 17 South Africans who were tricked into fighting for Russia and have mostly been repatriated. Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, is under police investigation in South Africa over alleged involvement in luring more than a dozen men to Russia.
A Kenyan intelligence report says more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia. Kenya’s foreign ministry has reported 27 Kenyans rescued after being stranded in Russia, and foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi said he plans to visit Russia in March to discuss the issue.
