Russia agrees to halt recruitment of Ghanaians for Ukraine war

Moses Mozart Dzawu, Bloomberg News on Nov 1, 2026

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Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to halt the recruitment of Ghanaians to fight in Ukraine after President John Mahama raised concerns about the practice, according to Ghana’s foreign minister.

Putin said Ghanaians will no longer be allowed to participate in the war, whether through irregular recruitment or as volunteers, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said in a Facebook post following last week’s Russia-Africa summit.

Russia’s recruitment of Africans to bolster its forces in Ukraine has sparked concern across the continent. Kenya and South Africa have secured the repatriation of some citizens who they say were deceived into signing Russian military contracts, while Botswana, Zimbabwe and Cameroon have sought the return of nationals recruited or captured in the conflict.

Despite appeals from African governments, Russia has stepped up enlistment from the continent as it seeks to address personnel shortages in its military, Bloomberg reported last week.

Ablakwa had received an assurance in August from his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that Moscow would end “illegal recruitment” from the West African nation. At the time, he said that 62 Ghanaians had died in the war, with 15 missing.

Ukraine has identified nearly 46,000 foreigners from 151 countries who have signed contracts with the Russian military, including more than 5,000 Africans, according to a presentation obtained from people familiar with Ukraine’s intelligence service.

Ghana and Russia also agreed to pursue the development of a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant to bolster energy security and support industrialization, Ablakwa said. And the two countries reached a new defense pact, covering the acquisition of equipment for Ghana’s armed forces.