Ghana issues ultimatum to Russia
Ghana accused Russia of “illegally recruiting” Ghanaians to fight in Ukraine. Following talks in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa announced that his counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, had agreed to work toward resolving the issue, Interfax reports. According to Ablakwa, 62 of his compatriots have been killed in Ukraine, with another 15 missing.
Lavrov confirmed that Ghanaian citizens had signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, but stated that they did so “out of solidarity with the country that also helped them fight racism” and “for material and financial reasons.” The Foreign Minister also reported that Moscow had received similar requests from other countries. “The Ministry of Defense has a special body that reviews these requests, and I am convinced that it will also consider the additional requests received today from our Ghanaian friends,” Lavrov said. The recruitment of African citizens to bolster Russian forces at the front is causing concern in the region. South African and Kenyan authorities have previously made similar demands on Moscow. In February, Kenyan intelligence reported that Russia had deceived over 1,000 Kenyans into fighting in the war. Many were promised jobs as truck drivers or security guards.
South Africa also detained five suspects in the recruitment of mercenaries for the Russian army. In November 2025, Bloomberg reported that Duduzila Zuma-Sambudla, the daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, was involved in this activity. According to the agency, she convinced 20 men that they would travel to Russia for bodyguard training courses to eventually work for her father’s party.
Botswana authorities also reported in July on the deceptive recruitment of their citizens for the war against Ukraine, noting that the number of victims of such schemes was “growing at an alarming rate.” Subsequently, the Latin American country of Panama leveled similar accusations against Russia. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry responded by stating that “the signed contracts are voluntary.”
According to The Telegraph, by the end of 2025, Russia had lured approximately 18,000 citizens from 128 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America into the war, at least 3,300 of whom were killed in combat.