At least 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, Ghana’s foreign minister said Friday, highlighting what officials describe as a growing pattern of deceptive recruitment targeting African citizens.
Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said 272 Ghanaians had been drawn into the war since 2022, according to The Associated Press (AP).
“As a responsible government, we cannot turn a blind eye to these heartbreaking statistics,” Ablakwa said. “This is not our war and we cannot allow our youth to become human shields for others.”
Accra presses for POW release
Ablakwa met President Volodymyr Zelensky and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, in Kyiv on Wednesday, marking what the Ukrainian president described as the first visit of its kind in the history of relations between the two countries.
One of the Ghanaian minister’s stated objectives was to secure the release of the two prisoners of war, who he said had been tricked into joining Russia’s armed forces. “They are victims of manipulation, of disinformation, misinformation of criminal trafficking networks,” he said at a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart, expressing hope that Zelensky would release them “on humanitarian grounds.”
Writing on Telegram after the meeting, Zelensky did not address the specific case of the two Ghanaians but said the sides had discussed Russia’s recruitment of African citizens.
“We discussed in detail how Russia recruits citizens of Ghana and other African countries to participate in the war against Ukraine, as well as how we can counteract this. The teams will be in touch on this matter,” Zelensky said.
A wider African pattern
Ghana is among several African nations raising alarm over citizens recruited to fight for Russia, often under promises of jobs or training abroad.
An intelligence report presented to Kenya’s parliament on Feb. 17 said 1,000 Kenyans had been recruited to fight for Russia after being misled with promises of employment. Parliamentary leader Kimani Ichung’wah accused Russian embassy officials in Nairobi of colluding with recruitment agencies to issue tourist visas to men who were later sent to the front line.
The Russian Embassy in Nairobi denied the allegations, saying it had not issued visas to anyone intending to fight in Ukraine and that Russia “does not preclude citizens of foreign countries from voluntarily enlisting in the armed forces.”
According to the report, 89 Kenyans were on the front line, 39 had been hospitalized, 28 were missing in action, and at least one was confirmed dead.
Nigeria has also acknowledged the deaths of two of its citizens. Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Intelligence said the bodies of two Nigerians were found in the Luhansk region. Both had signed contracts with the Russian military in 2025 and had received no military training, the agency said.
“Both Nigerians were killed in late November during an attempt to storm Ukrainian positions in the Luhansk region. They never engaged in a firefight – the mercenaries were eliminated by a drone strike,” the intelligence body said.
Two South African nationals have died fighting for Russia in Ukraine, a government minister said Thursday.
The news follows a political scandal that saw Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma and a serving member of the National Assembly at the time, resign in November. She allegedly helped lure 17 South African men to Russia under the pretext of “bodyguard training,” after which they were coerced into joining Russia’s armed forces.
South African authorities said 11 of the men returned home safely this week, bringing the total number of returnees to 15 after the government interceded with Moscow on their behalf.
Police are investigating the case. Under South African law, it is illegal for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments without authorization.
Ukraine points to 1,780 African recruits
During Ablakwa’s visit, Ukrainian officials said that more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among Russia’s ranks.
Ablakwa, citing information from Ukrainian authorities, said the figure pointed to organized recruitment efforts targeting vulnerable young people across the continent.
The Ghanaian government has pledged to intensify public awareness campaigns and work to “track and dismantle all dark web illegal recruitment schemes” operating in the country.
For Accra and other African capitals, the growing death toll and the capture of nationals abroad have sharpened a message that officials increasingly repeat: the war in Ukraine is not theirs – and their citizens should not be fighting it.