Russia-Ukraine war: Russia embassy denies claims of unlawful recruitment of Africans

On July 28, 2026, GraphicOnline published a news story to the effect that the government had launched investigations into alleged criminal recruitment networks supposedly recruiting Ghanaians into Russia’s war with Ukraine after 272 Ghanaian nationals were reported to have been drafted into the conflict through fraudulent overseas employment schemes.

A September 10, 2026, briefing by Amnesty International said Russia had used deceptive, coercive and exploitative practices to recruit foreign nationals into its military forces to send them to fight in Ukraine.

A February 25, 2026 Al Jazeera news report sourced from Reuters said Ukraine had accused Russia of using deception to recruit more than 1,700 Africans to join its war effort as the conflict dragged into a fifth year.