Ghanaian-Russian fighter imprisoned in Ukraine

After eight long months of anguish and silence, the family of Joshua Nkrumah, a Ghanaian man imprisoned in Ukraine, has finally learned the truth: he is alive.

Once presumed dead, Joshua’s unexpected re-emergence has brought a mix of relief and heartbreak to his wife, child, and relatives in Ghana—casting new light on the quiet tragedy of African migrants lured into foreign wars.

From Dubai to Detention

Joshua, 35, left Dubai in July 2024 for what he believed was a legitimate private security job in Russia. He had been working at the international airport there alongside his wife, Salome Wangeci Mwangi, a Kenyan national, when he took the opportunity, supposedly to fund his education and support their growing family.

But what began as a job offer quickly turned into something darker. The documents were in Russian. Communication became erratic.

By September 2024, Joshua had been thrust onto the Russian frontlines in Ukraine without proper training or consent.

After surviving a drone attack that decimated his unit, he was captured by Ukrainian forces and taken into custody.

Since then, he has been transferred through multiple detention facilities, finally ending up in Lviv, Ukraine, where he was recently found by reporters from The Africa Report.

For Joshua’s wife, the discovery that he is alive was a shocking mix of grief and gratitude.

She had not heard from him since his phones went dead last September.

During that time, she gave birth prematurely to their daughter, Azeena, alone in Nairobi.

Without his support and with mounting hospital bills, she struggled to survive both emotionally and financially.

“I thought he was dead. At another point, I felt he was still alive,” she said tearfully after receiving an audio recording of her husband’s voice for the first time in months. “It’s such a bittersweet moment.”

Named after the Swahili word Hazina, meaning treasure, baby Azeena represents a beacon of hope in a time of despair.

“I want her to grow up knowing her father didn’t just vanish. That he’s strong. That he survived. That he fought to come home,” Salome added.

A Family Torn Apart

Back in Kumasi, Joshua’s family endured the silence in emotional limbo.

His sister, Ophelia Nkrumah, described how the family would light candles for him, unsure if they were mourning or praying.

“We cried every day. My mother barely spoke for months,” she recalled. “We just wanted to know. Was he dead? Was he alive?”

His father, Albert Nkrumah, said the news that his son is alive fills him with gratitude—but also deep sadness.

“He was our hope. He took care of us. But now we just want him home. The Ghanaian government must act. We need him back.”

A Victim of War Recruitment

Joshua’s ordeal is not isolated. He is among a growing number of African migrants misled into Russia’s war effort, often under the promise of education, jobs in agriculture or security, or fast-tracked citizenship.

In late 2024, a group of 14 Ghanaians made headlines after revealing they had been similarly tricked into fighting in Ukraine.

“He’s not a soldier. He’s a father. A son. A husband,” Salome said. “He got lost in a war that had nothing to do with him.”

Appeal to Ghanaian Authorities

Now that his story has surfaced, the family is pleading with the Ghanaian government to intervene and repatriate their loved one.

From Nairobi to Kumasi, the call is unified: Joshua must come home.

“From Kenya, there’s little I can do. But Ghana must act. He is their citizen. His daughter needs to know her father,” Salome urged.

Legal and diplomatic efforts will be needed to engage Ukrainian and possibly international agencies to facilitate his release—steps that Joshua’s family hopes Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will begin immediately.

Waiting, Still

Joshua marked his 35th birthday behind bars in Ukraine on June 27, unaware that his voice would soon travel thousands of kilometers to reassure his loved ones.

In Lviv, he keeps track of the days in a small notebook. In Nairobi, Salome cradles her daughter, imagining the moment they’ll all be reunited.

“Even if it takes five years, I’ll still be waiting,” she said. “Until I see him walk through the door, I’ll never stop believing he will.”