Ghana summons Russian Ambassador over viral explicit videos

The Government of Ghana has summoned the Russian Ambassador to Ghana over what it describes as the illegal actions of a suspected Russian national accused of sharing sexually explicit images of Ghanaian women without their consent.

In a statement released on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that His Excellency Sergei Berdnikov was invited at the direction of the Foreign Affairs Minister to formally receive the government’s strong protest regarding the incident.

The Ministry explained that the meeting was meant to communicate Ghana’s dissatisfaction with what it termed “atrocious conduct,” noting that the alleged actions breach Ghanaian laws and violate the privacy and dignity of the affected individuals. Ghana also requested Russia’s collaboration in ensuring accountability.

Ambassador Berdnikov acknowledged the gravity of the claims, particularly the alleged privacy violations and cybercrime aspects, and conveyed the Russian Federation’s readiness to work with Ghanaian authorities on the matter.

However, he stated that he could not verify whether the individual involved is indeed a Russian citizen. He added that the name circulating in parts of the media is not recognized as a legitimate Russian name and is, in fact, considered inappropriate or vulgar in the Russian language.

The Ambassador further indicated that similar alleged incidents connected to the same individual in other countries had been brought to the attention of Russian officials and are currently being investigated by experts in Russia.

He assured that the Russian Embassy in Accra would provide any relevant information to assist Ghana in identifying, arresting, and prosecuting the suspect. He emphasized that such cooperation would be guided by the long-standing bilateral relations between Ghana and Russia, despite the lack of a formal extradition treaty between the two nations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed its commitment to utilizing the strong diplomatic ties between the two countries and stated that it would pursue all available international legal avenues to ensure justice is achieved.