Claims of a Ukrainian ‘torture chamber’ went viral. What really happened?

The Russian Embassy in Ghana has dismissed accusations that Africans, including Ghanaians, are being falsely recruited into Russia's military, branding a billboard campaign in Accra promoting such claims as Ukrainian state propaganda. The embassy alleged that the campaign, featuring slogans "I Want to Live" and "I Want to Find," was organized by StopRussianRecruiters.org, which it said was created and managed by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War alongside the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The billboard display in Accra began in late October and was intended to discredit Russia and strain diplomatic relations with Ghana. The embassy emphasized that the campaign was a Ukrainian state propaganda tool, not a humanitarian initiative. It also refuted allegations of Russia using deceptive recruitment methods, stating that it has never employed such schemes.

The embassy noted that no verifiable evidence supporting the claims had emerged from any international body. Following Ghanaian President John Mahama's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the embassy claimed that Russia had promised not to recruit Ghanaians into its military. The embassy described the continued billboard displays as a malicious provocation aimed at damaging bilateral relations.

The Russian embassy further accused Ukraine of hypocrisy by citing Ghanaian media reports of Ukraine seeking foreign nationals for military roles, which it said contradicted Ukraine's accusations against Russia. The embassy also cited reports of over 20,000 foreign mercenaries fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, attributing the number to Russian security agencies.