Video of Ghanaians claiming to be in the Russian army sparks conversations

Shared by a user identified as @EliasuAlhaji, the footage captures the men dressed in military camouflage and brandishing AK-47 rifles while endorsing a travel agency allegedly involved in their recruitment.

In the video, spoken in Twi, a local Ghanaian dialect, the men advocate for Fly Away Travel Agency, attributing their enlistment in the Russian Army to the agency's assistance. "Go to Fly Away Travel Agency, trust in them, and they will bring you to Russia. This is not a lie. We are all Ghanaians and we were brought here. These are our guns," they assert.

However, accompanying the video is a caption expressing concern that these individuals, possibly motivated by Ghana's unemployment crisis, have joined the ranks of the Russian military involved in the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The caption reads, "Ghanaians are fighting for Russia against Ukraine. These cocky young Ghanaians, who left the country probably due to the unemployment crisis, are boasting about the agency that facilitated their journey and advisedly encouraged Ghanaian youth to contact the agency to become fighters in Russia."

The emergence of this video has triggered a flurry of reactions, with many expressing shock and condemnation over the reported involvement of Ghanaian nationals in foreign military operations. Concerns are mounting over the recruitment practices of certain travel agencies and the motivations driving young Ghanaians to seek employment opportunities abroad, particularly in conflict zones.

It has also triggered calls for the urgent need to address the underlying issues of youth unemployment and to ensure transparency in recruitment processes to prevent exploitation and safeguard national interests.