The Government of Ghana has initiated legal processes to prosecute a Russian national accused of non-consensually recording and disseminating intimate images of Ghanaian women, even if he is not extradited to Ghana.
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Mr Samuel Nartey George, the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, disclosed this at a joint press briefing with Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, on Wednesday.
Minister George explained the legal strategy being pursued despite the limitations of Russian law.
“The Russian Constitution is clear — Russia will not extradite any of its citizens for prosecution. But you see, there are far-reaching consequences to the steps we are taking. If the gentleman is not extradited because of the provisions of the Russian Constitution, what we have done and what we will conclusively do by working through INTERPOL to get the international arrest warrant, is that we will confine him to the precincts of Russia.
“As soon as he steps outside of Russia into any other country, he’ll be picked up to serve the sentence. And so what we’ve done is we’ve saved potential future victims by the proactiveness.”
The Minister dismissed suggestions that the government should abandon the case due to the absence of an extradition treaty.
“For those who say, ‘Oh, because there is no MLAT and there’s no extradition, leave it and don’t act.’ No. You empower individuals who are like-minded to come after potential victims. As a state, as a government, we have a responsibility to protect our own, and that’s what we’re doing.
“Russia is protecting its own by refusing or by enshrining that no citizen is extradited. What is Ghana doing for its own? It is to ensure that anyone who abuses our privacy laws, as enshrined in the CSA Act, will face the full force of the law.”
@thenigerialawyer "Russia Will Not Extradite Its Citizens, But We Will Confine Him To The Precincts Of Russia" — Ghana Minister Sam George As Government Prepares Prosecution In Absentia Of Russian Who Recorded African Women
Mr George said the Cyber Security Authority was preparing a docket through the Ghana Police Service and the Attorney-General’s Department for prosecution in absentia.
“We are also preparing through the Cyber Security Authority to present a docket through the Police Service and Attorney-General for prosecution in absentia in our courts,” he said.
In view of the transnational nature of the case, the two ministries formally briefed the Russian Ambassador to Ghana, Sergei Berdnikov, and submitted a detailed report through diplomatic channels.
Mr George said the Ambassador acknowledged receipt of the briefing and confirmed that the information received would be transmitted to the appropriate authorities in Moscow for further consideration.
Although there was no extradition treaty between Ghana and the Russian Federation, the Ambassador said the alleged conduct constituted a criminal offence under Russian law.
The Minister explained that the Government was working with INTERPOL to activate international arrest warrant protocols.
“As soon as he steps outside of Russia into any other country, he will be picked up to serve the sentence,” he stated.
Dr Lartey, on her part, reiterated the Government’s determination to pursue the matter to its logical legal conclusion to ensure justice for the affected women.
“The assurance we are giving all Ghanaians is that nobody will violate any Ghanaian citizen and go scot-free,” she said. “We are going to pursue it. And that is the charge His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has given us.”
Investigations by the Cyber Security Authority and law enforcement agencies indicated that the suspect allegedly recorded private encounters without consent for publication and monetised the content online, charging fees and receiving payments through cryptocurrency channels.
The case involves a foreign national identified online as Yaytseslav, who allegedly lured Ghanaian women, recorded intimate encounters without their consent and subsequently published the videos online, reportedly for financial gain.
The man trended on Thursday, February 12, 2026, after clips showed him approaching women around Accra Mall and later taking some of them to his apartment.
Reports indicate he was frequently seen around Accra Mall, where he allegedly approached women, wearing spy glasses, struck up conversations and later persuaded some to exchange phone numbers or visit him. Parts of those interactions were later uploaded online.
The content was reportedly split into two parts — teaser summaries shared publicly and longer, more private footage locked behind a paid Telegram subscription reportedly costing about $5 monthly.
Online checks show roughly 40 videos allegedly linked to encounters with Ghanaian women, with some clips also featuring women from other African countries including Kenya and South Africa.
As outrage intensified, social media users speculated about how the recordings were made without drawing attention. Many suggested that Yaytseslav may have used Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, commonly known as Meta Glasses, after viewers noticed he was wearing glasses resembling the device in some clips.
However, there has been no official confirmation regarding the equipment used.
Speaking earlier to JoyNews, Minister George had stated: “We want the gentleman to come to Ghana, to be brought back to Ghana, extradited to Ghana, for him to face the rigors of our law.
“What the cyber security authority is interested in, and my ministry is interested in, is in the non-consensual sharing of the videos that were posted online. That is a crime.
“It is a crime to record a person without their consent… and you go and post it on a website for financial gain.”
The controversy has spread beyond Ghana, with Kenyans also demanding accountability after reports indicated the man posted videos featuring women from Kenya as well.
Commentators in Kenya have invoked international human rights law, noting that even if the offender is foreign, Kenya can act under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 12) which provides protection from arbitrary interference with privacy, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 17) which protects individuals from unlawful attacks on honor and reputation.
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