KYIV, Feb 25 (Reuters) - More than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow was using deception to
Ukraine says over 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in the war
KYIV, Feb 25 (Reuters) - More than 1,700 Africans are fighting for Russia in its war in Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Wednesday, adding that Moscow was using deception to trick them into fighting.
Alleged Recruitment of African Nationals by Russia
Speaking alongside his counterpart from Ghana, Sybiha said that discussions were taking place with governments across Africa to prevent their citizens from being drawn into such schemes. Ghana will chair the African Union regional bloc next year.
Ukraine's Claim and Figures
"We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war," Sybiha told a news conference. "According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army."
The African fighters came from 36 different countries spread across the continent, he added.
Russia's Response
Russian authorities have denied illegally recruiting African citizens to fight in the armed forces.
However, reports of African men being lured into Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine's front line have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved.
Ghana's Account of Deception
Ghana's Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said that many of the Africans fighting for Russia were victims of deception, lured on the dark web with the promise of ordinary jobs.
Dark Web Job Offers and Lack of Training
"They have no security background. They have no military background. They have not been trained," Ablakwa said. "They were just lured and deceived, and then put on the frontlines."
Call for Ceasefire and Support
Ablakwa expressed solidarity with Ukraine and called for a ceasefire to end the war, which marked its fourth anniversary on Tuesday. He said that he would ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to release two Ghanaian prisoners of war, who were captured fighting for Russia.
African Union Awareness Plans
Ghana would promote schemes to raise public awareness about trafficking networks deceptively recruiting for Russian forces during its presidency of the African Union, Ablakwa said.
Reporting and Editing Credits
(Reporting by Anna Plucinska and Daniel Flynn; Editing by Alison Williams)
