Ghana says at least 55 citizens killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine

Ghana’s foreign affairs minister says at least 55 of the country’s citizens have been killed fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was speaking after travelling to the Ukrainian capital to discuss the fate of two Ghanaians taken prisoner on the frontline.

He says he was informed that at least 272 nationals have been lured into the conflict since 2022, adding that they were "victims of manipulation, misinformation of criminal trafficking networks".

Ablakwa said the government was "committed to tracking and dismantling all dark web illegal recruitment schemes” operating within its jurisdiction.

A growing number of African countries have in recent months begun to discover that their citizens have been duped into fighting for the Russian army.

Ukraine’s foreign minister on Wednesday said that nearly 1,800 people from 36 countries in Africa had been recruited to fight for Russia.

Most say they were promised lucrative civilian jobs but were instead forced to sign contracts with the army and sent to fight against Ukraine with limited training.

The death of the Ghanaians is the highest number of casualties from a single African country to have been officially confirmed in the war.

Local media in Cameroon have reported that 94 of its nationals have died in the conflict, but the authorities have not commented on these figures.

Two South Africans and at least one Kenyan have died in the conflict.

Russia has denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in Ukraine.

"The recruitment scandal makes clear that the Ukraine war is no longer a distant geopolitical issue for African governments," the International Crisis Group said in a report published on Friday.

"As their citizens become directly entangled in the conflict, leaders could face mounting domestic pressure that makes it more difficult to stick to principles of non-alignment."