Putin promised to prohibit the recruitment of Ghanaian citizens for the war
Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to ban Ghanaian citizens from participating in the war against Ukraine. This was reported by Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. According to him, the ban will apply to both recruitment cases and voluntary enlistment.
Putin promised to ban the sending of Ghanaian citizens to war
The minister stated on November 1 that this issue was discussed during Putin's meeting at the Kremlin with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama within the framework of the third "Russia - Africa" summit. Mahama expressed concern over the recruitment of his country's citizens into the war.
"This ban covers all cases of participation — both illegal recruitment and voluntary enlistment," Ablakwa said.
Earlier, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine accused Russia of human trafficking involving the deceptive sending of foreigners to the front line. According to the commission, dozens of men from at least 29 countries have fallen victim to such actions.
In February 2026, the publication "IStories" reported on Kelvin Ejire, a Ghanaian citizen. According to the outlet, he initially served in the Russian army and later began promoting contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense among his compatriots.
According to Ukrainian government data cited by DW, Russia has recruited more than 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries for the war. More than 5,000 of them were reported killed. Additionally, at least 213 foreign citizens were held as prisoners of war in Ukraine, 37 of whom were citizens of African countries.
The Kenyan government asked Kyiv to recognize its captured citizens as victims of human trafficking. The Kenyan side stated that these people were drawn into the war through deception.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg reported that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of the former president of South Africa, was involved in recruiting citizens of South Africa and Botswana. According to the publication, she promised citizens that they would be sent to bodyguard training courses and later work for her father's party.