The Russian Embassy in Ghana has rejected allegations that Russia is using deceptive means to recruit Ghanaians and other Africans into its military, describing a billboard campaign in Accra as a Ukrainian propaganda effort.
In a statement issued in Accra on November 5, 2026, the Embassy said the website StopRussianRecruiters.org, which organised the campaign, was created and managed by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in collaboration with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Embassy disputed the website’s presentation as a human rights initiative, describing it as an instrument of Ukrainian state propaganda intended to discredit Russia in Africa.
The billboards, which appeared on the streets of Accra in late October, carried the slogans “I want to live” and “I want to find”.
The Embassy said allegations that Russia was luring Africans, including Ghanaians, into military service through deceptive recruitment schemes were false.
“The Russian side has never used, nor does it use, deceptive schemes to recruit foreign nationals into military service,” the statement said, adding that no convincing and verifiable evidence had been presented by an authoritative international body.
It further argued that the campaign had lost its relevance following President John Dramani Mahama’s visit to Russia and his meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
According to the Embassy, Russia confirmed during the meeting in Moscow that Ghanaians would not serve in its military on a contractual basis.
It described the continued display of the billboards as a provocation aimed at undermining relations between Ghana and Russia.
The Embassy also accused Ukraine of hypocrisy, citing advertisements published in Ghanaian media seeking foreign recruits for its Armed Forces.
It referred to an October 8, 2026, report by Yen.com.gh on nine military vacancies open to foreign nationals, including positions for platoon commanders and FPV drone operators.
The statement said similar recruitment advertisements were being circulated through other channels, including official resources of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence.
The Russian Embassy further claimed that more than 20,000 foreign mercenaries were fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, attributing the figure to its security agencies.
It accused the Ukrainian authorities of exposing foreign recruits, including Africans, to deaths in combat operations.
The Embassy urged Ghanaians to critically assess information from organisations it considers affiliated with Ukrainian state bodies and not to be misled by what it described as disinformation campaigns.
It maintained that Russia remained committed to developing relations with Ghana based on mutual respect and trust.
