Ukraine war has claimed lives of 55 Ghanaians, foreign minister says

More than 50 Ghanaians have been killed in the Ukraine-Russia war after being “lured into battle”, Ghana’s foreign minister said after a visit to Kyiv in which officials raised the issue of recruitment of Africans.

Reports of African men being attracted to Russia by promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine’s frontlines have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some countries involved.

Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.

“We were told 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into battle since 2022, and 55 have been killed and two captured as prisoners of war,” Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a post on X late on Thursday.

[ More than 1,700 Africans fighting for Russia, Ukraine saysOpens in new window ]

At a media briefing on Tuesday, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, standing alongside Ablakwa, said more than 1,780 Africans from 36 countries are “fighting in the Russian army”.

Ghana, which has economic and diplomatic ties with Russia, intends to raise awareness about recruitment and to dismantle “dark web illegal recruitment schemes operating within our jurisdiction”, Ablakwa said in his post on X.

“This is not our war, and we cannot allow our youth to become human shields for others,” he said.

The South African government said last week two of its citizens had died on the frontlines of the conflict.

The two are separate from a group of 17 South Africans who were tricked into fighting for Russia in Ukraine and who have mostly been repatriated, South Africa’s foreign ministry said.

According to a Kenyan intelligence report, more than 1,000 Kenyans have been recruited to fight for Russia.

Kenya’s foreign ministry said 27 Kenyans have been rescued after being stranded in Russia.

Kenyan foreign minister Musalia Mudavadi has said he plans to visit Russia in March for talks on the issue.

Reuters