272 Ghanaians lured into Russia’s war machine, 55 dead, 2 held as prisoners – Ablakwa reveals
At least 272 Ghanaian nationals have been trafficked or deceived into fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine since 2022, with an estimated 55 confirmed dead and two others currently held as prisoners of war, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed.
According to the Minister, these figures were revealed by Ukrainian authorities based on what they described as credible intelligence pointing to a “broader crisis across Africa.”
In a social media update on Thursday, following his visit to Kyiv, Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said at a joint press briefing that Kyiv has identified more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries currently serving in the Russian military.
These men, according to Ablakwa, are believed to have been lured not by ideology, but by criminal deception.
“They have no security background. They have no military background. They have not been trained,” Ablakwa said at the press conference. “They were just lured and deceived and then put on the front lines.”
“As a responsible government, we cannot turn a blind eye to these heartbreaking statistics,” his post on Thursday said. “These are not just numbers, they represent human lives, the hope of many Ghanaian families and our nation.”
Following his meeting with the two Ghanaian prisoners of war in Kyiv, the minister noted that detainees spoke out candidly, warning fellow Ghanaians against falling for the same traps.
“Our two captured compatriots spoke out passionately about the grave dangers during my visit and cautioned the youth not to be tempted, regardless of the monetary enticements. I expect all our young people to listen to them,” the post added, confirming however that Ukraine has treated the two men in accordance with international law.
“We have received reports that they are in good health. They have not been tortured. They have not suffered any inhumane treatment since they were captured,” he said.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also shared that Africans are being targeted through dark web networks and fraudulent job advertisements, many of them “promising employment rather than combat.”
To this, Ablakwa assured that the Mahama-led NDC Administration is committed to “tracking and dismantling all 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 emphasized.
Ablakwa’s two-day visit to Kyiv came just a day after the South African government announced that it had secured the return of 11 of its nationals who had similarly been lured into fighting for Russia.
The visit also saw Ablakwa join Foreign Minister Sybiha to lay flowers at Ukraine’s Wall of Remembrance, as a “solemn tribute to those killed in the ongoing conflict,” with several other high-level talks centered on defense cooperation, agricultural ties, education exchanges, and trade.
Okudzeto Ablakwa indicated that Ghana will champion continental awareness campaigns targeting the trafficking networks exploiting young Africans, when it assumes the presidency of the African Union next year.
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