Russia, Ukraine and the Battle Over Ghana's Narrative

A war fought thousands of kilometres away is now being argued on Accra's streets. In late October 2026, billboards appeared in Accra carrying the slogans "I Want to Live" and "I Want to Find," organised through the website StopRussianRecruiters.org.

On 5 November, the Russian Embassy in Ghana responded by accusing Ukraine of using the campaign to spread propaganda and undermine Ghana-Russia relations.

What the Embassy says
The Embassy says the website was created and managed by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, working with Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It calls the site a state propaganda tool meant to discredit Russia in Africa, not a human rights initiative. It also argues the campaign has become unnecessary.

In its view, Russia gave assurances during President Mahama's meeting with President Putin in Moscow that Ghanaians would not serve in the Russian military under contract. It further accuses Kyiv of hypocrisy. It points to advertisements in Ghanaian media seeking foreign recruits for Ukraine's armed forces.

The Embassy also claims, citing unnamed Russian security agencies, that more than 20,000 foreign mercenaries are fighting for Ukraine. The statement did not independently verify this figure or its claims about the billboards.

What the Ghanaian record shows
The Embassy's reply cannot be read apart from Ghana's own losses. In August, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said 62 Ghanaians had been killed and 15 others were missing in connection with the war.

He said many had answered job advertisements for construction, hospitality, logistics and security work, but were allegedly recruited into the conflict instead. Ghana asked Moscow to end the "illegal recruitment" of its citizens.

The Russian side has also denied wrongdoing. Ambassador Andrei Ordash told GraphicOnline earlier that allegations of deliberate, unlawful recruitment of African citizens are untrue. That denial sits alongside Ghana's own figures and Amnesty International's findings.

A 10 September briefing by Amnesty International said Russia had used deceptive, coercive and exploitative practices to recruit foreign nationals to fight in Ukraine.

The Moscow assurance
Ghana's Foreign Ministry said President Putin declared that Ghanaians would no longer be allowed to take part in the war, following concerns raised by President Mahama at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. That followed an agreement on a new defence pact.

The embassy now uses this pledge to argue that the billboards are redundant. Others will say a promise is not enough, and that Ghana should wait for proof that recruitment has stopped.

What Ghana should do
Verify, don't just choose sides. Ghana should insist on facts about both recruitment drives and treat neither embassy's statement as settled evidence.

Protect job-seekers. The Ghana Immigration Service, the Labour Department and the police should check overseas job offers, since the reported lures were ordinary jobs.

Pursue the missing and the dead.
The government must keep working to trace the 15 missing and return the bodies of those killed, and keep families informed.

Watch both sides' messaging. Foreign embassies and campaigners compete for influence here, with billboards, media advertisements and online sites. Ghanaians should ask who funds each message and who gains.

Hold the Moscow pledge to account. The government should publish how it will monitor compliance, and report any new cases quickly.

Conclusion
Ghana does not need to take either side in a war that is not its own. It needs to protect its young people from being lured into any foreign army, and to keep its own counsel when embassies fight over public opinion on its streets.

Mustapha Bature Sallama
Medical/ Science Communicator,
Private Investigator, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Analysis,

International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. (USIP)

[email protected]
+233555275880

References
The Herald Ghana, "Russian Embassy rejects claims of deceptive recruitment of Ghanaians into military service," Nov 2026. https://theheraldghana.com/russian-embassy-rejects-claims-of-deceptive-recruitment-of-ghanaians-into-military-service/

Sahara Reporters, "Russia Denies Deceptively Recruiting Ghanaians Into Military, Accuses Ukraine Of Propaganda Campaign," 6 Nov 2026. https://saharareporters.com/2026/11/06/russia-denies-deceptively-recruiting-ghanaians-military-accuses-ukraine-propaganda

GraphicOnline, "Russia-Ukraine war: Russia embassy denies claims of unlawful recruitment of Africans" (Ambassador Ordash). https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/russia-ukraine-war-russia-embassy-denies-claims-of-unlawful-recruitment-of-africans.html

MyJoyOnline, "62 Ghanaians killed, 15 missing in Russia-Ukraine war – Ablakwa." https://www.myjoyonline.com/62-ghanaians-killed-15-missing-in-russia-ukraine-war-ablakwa/

MyJoyOnline, "Government probes reported recruitment of Ghanaians into Russia-Ukraine war." https://www.myjoyonline.com/government-probes-reported-recruitment-of-ghanaians-into-russia-ukraine-war/

Kyiv Independent, "Ghana asks Moscow to stop recruiting its citizens for war in Ukraine." https://kyivindependent.com/ghana-asks-moscow-to-stop-recruiting-its-citizens-for-war-in-ukraine/

Adomonline, "Putin pledges Ghanaians will no longer be recruited for Ukraine war," 2 Nov 2026. https://www.adomonline.com/putin-pledges-ghanaians-will-no-longer-be-recruited-for-ukraine-war/

GraphicOnline, "Ghana and Russia agree on new defence pact," 31 Oct 2026. https://www.graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/ghana-and-russia-agree-on-new-defence-pact.html

The Insight, front page, Vol. 33 No. 2327, 10 Nov 2026 (your uploaded page, "Russia Embassy Accuses Ukraine Of Anti-Russian Propaganda In Ghana").