Ghana seeks to stop Russia from recruiting its citizens as mercenaries as Ukraine war death toll hits 62

Ghana says Russia has agreed to end the “illegal recruitment” of its citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine, as the number of Ghanaians killed while serving with Russian forces has risen to 62, with another 15 still missing.

• Ghana announced that Russia has agreed to stop recruiting Ghanaian citizens to fight in the war in Ukraine.
• The death toll of Ghanaians killed while serving with Russian forces has risen to 62, with 15 still missing.
• Over 1,400 African nationals from several countries have reportedly been recruited to fight for Russia between 2023 and 2025, with at least 316 killed.
• African governments, including those of Kenya and South Africa, have taken action to repatriate citizens who were deceived into joining Russian forces.

Ghanaian Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa disclosed the development after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. Ablakwa said Lavrov assured him that Russia would take steps to stop the recruitment of Ghanaians into its military, according to Bloomberg.

The latest death toll is up from 55 Ghanaians reported killed in February, when Ablakwa first raised concerns over the recruitment of Ghanaian nationals to fight for Russia.

Russia’s recruitment of African nationals has become an increasing concern for governments across the continent, particularly amid reports that some citizens were lured into military contracts through misleading job offers.

Kenya and South Africa have both worked to repatriate citizens who were reportedly deceived into signing contracts with the Russian military.

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More than 1,400 Africans reportedly recruited

A recent investigation by INPACT alleges that at least 1,417 African nationals from countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa were recruited to fight for Russia between 2023 and 2025.

The investigation estimates that at least 316 of those recruits have been killed in combat.

The findings have renewed questions about Russia’s recruitment activities in Africa and appear to conflict with previous denials from Russian officials. In late 2025, Russian diplomat Natalia Krasovskaya said African students in Russia were safe and engaged in academic activities, while Russia’s ambassador to Nigeria, Andrey Podyelyshev, previously described reports of Nigerian citizens fighting for Russia as misleading.

The investigation also identified Ghana as one of the largest sources of recruits, alleging that 272 Ghanaians joined Russian forces, with at least 55 reported dead at the time of its findings.

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Beyond the recruitment issue, Ghana and Russia are also discussing broader security cooperation. Ablakwa said Russia’s support in combating extremist groups in West Africa’s Sahel region was appreciated and disclosed that the Economic Community of West African States and the Alliance of Sahel States were working on a framework to guide engagement with international partners, including Russia.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, African governments have largely maintained neutral positions on the conflict. Ghana is now seeking to ensure that its citizens are not drawn into the conflict through recruitment schemes it considers illegal.