More than 1,700 African citizens are fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Wednesday, accusing Moscow of tricking them into combat through deceptive recruitment schemes.

Sybiha spoke alongside his Ghanaian counterpart at a news conference, revealing that Ukrainian officials have opened discussions with African governments to stop their citizens from falling into such traps. Ghana takes over as chair of the African Union regional bloc next year.

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“We clearly see that Russia is trying to drag African citizens into a deadly war. According to our data, there are currently over 1,780 citizens from the African continent fighting in the Russian army,” Sybiha said.

The Ukrainian foreign minister said these fighters came from 36 different countries across the continent.

 News gathered that Russian authorities have rejected claims they illegally recruit African citizens for military service.

Additionally,  News earlier this month reported on some Nigerians who fell victim to the Russian fake promise of employment, which lured them to the battlefield. Meanwhile, reports of African men being lured to Russia with false job promises and ending up on Ukraine’s battlefields have multiplied in recent months, straining Moscow’s relationships with some African nations.

Ghana Says Citizens Were Tricked Into Fighting

Ghana’s Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said many Africans fighting for Russia fell victim to online deception, with recruiters using the dark web to offer what appeared to be normal employment opportunities.

“They have no security background. They have no military background. They have not been trained. They were just lured and deceived, and then put on the frontlines,” Ablakwa said.

Ablakwa voiced solidarity with Ukraine and called for a ceasefire to end the war, which entered its fourth year on Tuesday.

He said he plans to ask Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to release two Ghanaian prisoners of war that Ukrainian forces captured while they were fighting for Russia.

Ablakwa announced that Ghana would launch awareness campaigns about trafficking networks recruiting for the Russian military during Ghana’s upcoming African Union presidency.

The revelations highlight how the Ukraine conflict has pulled in citizens from countries thousands of miles away, with African nations now facing the challenge of protecting their citizens from becoming unwitting participants in a European war.