No worry about Ghanaians joining Russian army — Security Analyst

Despite concerns about security implications amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Aboagye advised against associating anything Russian with danger.

He emphasized the need to avoid bias towards the East or West and highlights that motivations for joining such forces can vary, including economic factors, unemployment, or personal drive.

In an interview with Citi News, he said "We must be careful in this conversation that we do not bring in this east west dichotomy. That anything that is west is good. Anything that is east is bad. That because Ghanaian citizens have joined the Russian army or let’s say Wagner, then it’s a tropical issue. And that when Ghanaians join the US army as I’ve cited, then it is not an issue. We need to be very, very careful about it. Secondly or lastly, it is a question of motivation, it could be economic reasons. It could be unemployment. It could also be that sheer motivation."

"They are people who are looking for adventure for instance and if they think that being in the Ghana Army or not being in the Ghana Army but they don’t get that kind of excitement in the work that they are doing and there are opportunities to serve in the Russian Army or Wagner or whatever it is. Then they are likely to leave and go and join," he added.