Home - Russia accuses Ukraine of spreading propaganda in Ghana

The Russian Embassy in Ghana has accused Ukraine of spreading state-sponsored propaganda in the country through a billboard campaign in Accra, alleging that Russia is recruiting Africans, including Ghanaians, into its military through deceptive means.

In a statement issued on November 5, 2026, the Embassy described the campaign, which featured billboards bearing the slogans ‘I want to live’ and ‘I want to find’, as a deliberate attempt by Ukraine to discredit Russia and undermine the cordial relations between the two countries.

The billboards, which appeared on the streets of Accra in late October 2026, were reportedly organised through a website, StopRussianRecruiters.org.

According to the Russian Embassy, the website is managed by Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in conjunction with the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It argued that the initiative was not a humanitarian project, as purported, but rather an instrument of Ukrainian state propaganda targeting Russia’s relations with African countries.

The Embassy also dismissed allegations that Russia was using deceptive means to lure Africans, particularly Ghanaians, into signing military contracts.

"The Russian side has never used, nor does it use, deceptive schemes to recruit foreign nationals into military service. No convincing and verifiable evidence to the contrary has been presented by any authoritative international body," the statement said.

The Embassy further argued that the billboard campaign had become irrelevant following President John Dramani Mahama’s visit to Russia and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It said discussions between the two leaders in Moscow had resulted in assurances from Russia that Ghanaian citizens would not serve in its military under contractual arrangements.

According to the Embassy, the continued display of the billboards was therefore a "belated and malicious provocation" intended to mislead Ghanaians and damage relations between Accra and Moscow.

The Russian Embassy also accused Ukraine of hypocrisy, arguing that while it was accusing Russia of using fraudulent recruitment schemes, it was openly advertising military vacancies to foreign nationals, including Africans.

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As an example, it cited an October 8, 2026, publication by a Ghanaian news website, which reported that Ukraine had listed nine military positions available to foreign nationals.

The vacancies reportedly included positions such as platoon commander and first-person view (FPV) drone operator.

The Embassy claimed that similar recruitment advertisements were being circulated through other channels, including official platforms of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence.

It further alleged that more than 20,000 foreign mercenaries were currently fighting alongside the Ukrainian Armed Forces, citing information from Russian security agencies.

The Embassy said Ukraine's recruitment activities were resulting in the deaths of foreign nationals, whom it alleged were being used as "cannon fodder" for the interests of Ukraine's Western allies.

The Russian Embassy called on Ghanaians to exercise caution and critically assess information from organisations it described as affiliated with Ukrainian state institutions.

It urged the Ghanaian public not to succumb to what it termed provocations and disinformation campaigns.

Reaffirming Russia's commitment to its relations with Ghana, the Embassy said Moscow remained a consistent and reliable partner committed to developing bilateral relations based on mutual respect and trust.

‼️Statement by the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Ghana following the appearance on the streets of Accra of billboards bearing the slogans ‘I want to live’ and ‘I want to find’, which were put up in late October 2026

Read full text: https://t.co/o9Aj0hfKFF https://t.co/Vp9auIh6tL— Russian Embassy in Ghana (@RusEmbGhanaEng) November 5, 2026

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