The key facts

  • Putin promised to ban the involvement of Ghanaian citizens in the war with Ukraine
  • The promise was made at a meeting with John Dramani Mahama following the third Russia–Africa summit
  • According to Kyiv, the Russian army has more than 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries, over 5,000 of whom have died

A promise on the sidelines of the summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised to ban the recruitment of Ghanaian citizens for the war with Ukraine. This was reported by Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, DW writes (summary — Zamon.uz). According to him, the promise was made during a meeting with Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama at the Kremlin following the third Russia–Africa summit. The announced ban is supposed to cover both cases of illegal recruitment and the participation of Ghanaian citizens in the war of their own initiative.

Context: the scale of foreign recruitment

The publication cites the data against which the promise was made. Earlier, the independent UN international commission investigating war crimes in Ukraine accused Russia of human trafficking — sending foreign mercenary fighters to the front by deception. According to the latest data from Kyiv, Russia has recruited into its army more than 28,000 foreigners from 135 countries; more than 5,000 of them have died. At least 213 foreigners are being held in Ukraine as prisoners of war, 37 of them citizens of African countries.

A precedent from Ghana

Zamon.uz also recalls a case described by the outlet 'Vazhnye Istorii' in February 2026: Ghanaian citizen Kelvin Edjire first served in the Russian army and then urged his compatriots to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense. The publication contains no information on how exactly Putin's promise will be formalized legally or whether it will be enforced — for now it is a statement, not an adopted document.