Ghana’s gold increases risks for Russian-backed coup

A military coup in Ghana is highly probable, with Wagner mercenary groups operating in the region. Moreover, these groups are now fully and officially controlled by Russia’s Defense Ministry, so the operation looks like Kremlin’s military intervention in Ghana. A similar operation by Russian military intelligence has been averted in Armenia, so far.

Ghana law enforcement officers arrested local supporters of the Wagner Group who planned to overthrow the government.

They showed themselves in August 2022, in a rally supporting Russia in the port city of Takoradi. Michael Assiedu, Mikado news administrator, a pro-Russian and anti-American information resource, was among the organizers.

The conspirators were in contact with the Russians and used Telegram groups to mobilize local youngsters and plan a solidarity demonstration.

The President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, at a meeting with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in March, voiced his concerns over possible greater Russian Wagner Group influence in Africa and warned that Burkina Faso junta cooperated with the Wagner Group.

We believe the Kremlin is involved in organizing rallies in Ghana on September 23 this year. The demonstrators held signs reading, “Ghana deserves better, we are tired of being voting machines,” or “People equal power.”

The protest has its roots in the FixTheCountry movement that emerged in 2021.

Russia has got operating bases in Ghana, engaged in PSYOPS. CNN discovered, in June 2020, that the Russians used so-called troll farms in Chana to fuel rallies in the U.S. RLI analysts then found that these groups were related to Alexander Ionov’s company, long engaged in PSYOPS for Russian military intelligence. Following the Wagner mutiny, Vladimir Putin said that Wagner Group was funded by Defense Ministry, which confirmed our findings that Wagner Group acts a SOF unit and is tasked, in particular, with political operations abroad to overthrow democratically elected governments and support pro-Russian military juntas.

Russia’s interest in Ghana is in line with the findings that the Kremlin seeks to take control of Africa’s largest gold deposits. Moscow, therefore, demonstrates its colonial ambition not only in the post-Soviet space, but also in Africa, as Kremlin sees it as a resource base with no need of major investment. Moscow, de facto, has come back to Cold War politics, when its standoff with the West was expressed in helping to bring Russian-leaning military officers to power in Africa, with military and financial support by the Kremlin, and the UN Security Council protection. Russia currently views African nations as detours, to sell the goods affected by sanctions, and re-export centers.

The tanker Theseus, for example, arrived in Ghana carrying about 600 thousand barrels of Russian oil. The oil was due to be pumped into storage tanks at Tema. It is obvious, therefore, that cargo was brought as part of an illegal scheme to avoid international sanctions.