Families of 14 Ghanaian ‘hustlers’ stranded in Russia picket Police Headquarters

Another day in Donetsk, Ukraine, a place that has become a living nightmare for some Ghanaian men trapped in a war they know nothing about, forced to fight for a cause they never chose.

These men, who left Ghana with promises of menial jobs in Russia, now find themselves on the frontlines of Russia’s war against Ukraine, their lives hanging by a thread with every passing moment.

One of the men, now deployed to the frontline, has shared a painful account of his deteriorating health. Unable to stand on his own, he is regularly injected with substances to gain the strength needed to continue fighting. His fear is palpable as he wonders if it will all be too late.

“I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. I just want to go home,” he told me in a weak, trembling voice.

He says every day, he stares at the sky, hoping for deliverance, yet dreading that he might become the next casualty, crushed by a rebel attack or lost to the brutality of war.

“I don’t know if I’ll survive another day,” he whispered, a man who should be worrying about his future, now only hoping to survive each day.

On Friday, September 20, 2024, the families of the 14 Ghanaian men trapped in Ukraine gathered at the Ghana Police Headquarters. They were there to confront Abraham Boakye, the man accused of sending their loved ones to Russia under alleged false pretenses.

But when they arrived, they were met with more disappointment. A police CID informed the families that Abraham Boakye, popularly known as “One Man Supporter,” had fled back to Russia after the first part of this story broke.

The nephew of one of the trapped men, Gideon Sarfo, expressed his deep anger.

“We’ve been waiting for answers, but all we get are closed doors and broken promises. My uncle’s life is at stake, and no one seems to care,” he said, his voice shaking with emotion.

Standing outside Boakye’s office, locked and abandoned, one can’t help but feel the weight of injustice. This is the second time I’ve come here, hoping to hear Boakye’s side of the story, but all I’m met with is silence.

Security analyst Adib Saani warns of the growing danger this situation poses, not just for the men but for Ghana as a whole.

“If no immediate action is taken, this could escalate into a larger security threat,” he said gravely.

According to a BBC report, over 70,000 volunteers fighting in Russia’s military have already died in Ukraine. Many of them were civilians, just like these Ghanaian men, forced to join the war after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

These men fear they will soon be part of that scary statistic if nothing is done. Time is running out. These men, once full of hope for a better life are now pleading for their survival.

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14 Ghanaian ‘hustlers’ stranded in Russia | 3News

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