Ukraine has confirmed that Ghanaians captured on the battlefield while fighting alongside Russian forces are being held as prisoners of war during the historic visit of Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister to Kyiv.
It comes as reports say over 55 Ghanaian combatants have been killed during the conflict which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
According to a report by Daily Graphic, the issue of the Ghanaian prisoners of war (PoWs) was discussed during talks between Ghana’s foreign affairs minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, last Wednesday.
“We also discussed the issue of Ghanaian PoWs captured while fighting for the aggressor,” Mr Sybiha disclosed in a post on X after the meeting.
The report noted that the revelation marks one of the clearest official acknowledgements that Ghanaian citizens have been detained in Ukraine in connection with Russia’s ongoing military campaign.
While details regarding the number of detainees and the circumstances of their recruitment remain unclear, the matter introduces complex legal and diplomatic considerations for Ghana.
Mr Sybiha also stressed that Ukraine would handle the detainees in accordance with international humanitarian law.
“Ukraine strictly upholds the Geneva Conventions and will grant Ghanaian diplomats access to their nationals. We confirmed our readiness to cooperate in resolving this issue in accordance with international law and in coordination with the competent authorities of Ukraine,” Sybiha said, appealing to African governments, including Ghana, to discourage recruitment into the Russian armed forces.
“We urge Accra and other African capitals to take active measures to prevent the recruitment of their citizens into Russia’s army.”
According to the report, the PoW issue surfaced during what was otherwise a landmark diplomatic engagement. “Mr Ablakwa’s trip to Kyiv is the first standalone visit by a Ghanaian foreign minister to Ukraine and, according to Ukrainian officials, the first such visit by an African foreign minister since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion,’’
“I am pleased to welcome my Ghanaian colleague, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to Kyiv today. This is a historic first visit by a foreign minister of the Republic of Ghana to Ukraine, and in fact the first standalone visit by an African foreign minister since the start of the full-scale war,” Mr Sybiha said during a joint press conference.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister said that Kyiv views Ghana as an important partner in West Africa and across the continent, praising Accra’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including its vote at the United Nations General Assembly.
According to the report, the ministers described their discussions as wide-ranging and practical, covering political dialogue, economic cooperation, humanitarian coordination and multilateral engagement.
“We also separately discussed prospects for cooperation with Ghana in organizing Ukrainian and Ghanaian humanitarian initiatives aimed at ensuring global food stability… We had a very focused discussion, including the possibility of establishing a grain hub on Ghanaian territory. Particular attention was paid to expanding trade, agricultural partnership, cooperation in education, and collaboration in the defence industries,” Mr Sybiha noted.
The proposal to establish a grain hub in Ghana reflects Ukraine’s broader effort to maintain agricultural export routes and stabilise global food supply chains disrupted by the war.
The visit began with a symbolic gesture, as both ministers laid flowers at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv. Mr Sybiha said he thanked his Ghanaian counterpart for his “words of support on the fourth grim anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion” and for Ghana’s backing of a recent UN resolution.
“We wish to expand our mutually beneficial cooperation with Ghana for the benefit of both of our nations. While Russia drags foreigners to their deaths, Ukraine offers cooperation for the sake of life, education, and a common future,” Mr Sybiha said.
Discussions also touched on possible reciprocal visits by the two countries’ leaders and the prospect of expanding Ghana’s diplomatic presence in Ukraine.
However, another report quoted the Foreign Minister of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa as saying that 55 Ghanaians have been killed fighting in the war in Ukraine, with two others currently held as prisoners of war,
The foreign minister also said that about 272 Ghanaians are believed to have been lured into the conflict since 2022, citing Ukrainian authorities.
Ablakwa described the figures as “depressing and frightening,” saying that Ghana “cannot turn a blind eye to these heartbreaking statistics”.
He did not say whose side the Ghanaians had been fighting on but Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that more than 1,700 people from 36 countries in Africa had been recruited to fight for Russia.
GIK/APA