Ukraine says over 1,700 African fighters supporting Russia

More than 1,700 Africans from 36 countries across the continent have joined Russia in its war against Ukraine, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Shevchenko. Speaking alongside his counterpart from Ghana at a news conference, Sybika detailed discussions ongoing with African governments to prevent their citizens from being entangled in such schemes.

The AU will be chaired by Ghana next year, Sybika added. “We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war,” he said. “According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 Africans fighting for the Russian army.”

Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African nationals to fight in their armed forces.

However, reports of African men being lured with promises of employment and landing on Ukraine’s front lines have become increasingly common in recent months. This has led to growing tensions between Moscow and several African countries involved.

Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa claimed many of the Africans fighting for Russia were victims of deception, having been duped online with promises of ordinary jobs. “They have no security background; they have no military training,” he said. “They were just lured and deceived, then sent to the front lines.”

Ablakwa emphasized Ghana’s commitment to solidarity with Ukraine and called for a ceasefire ending this war on its fourth anniversary. He also expressed willingness to release two of his countrymen who had been captured by Russian forces while fighting for them.

During Ghana’s presidency of the African Union, Ablakwa announced plans to promote public awareness campaigns targeting deceptive recruitment networks luring Africans into joining Russian armies.