The Ghanaian government has initiated moves to extradite a Russian national accused of secretly recording sexual encounters with several women and sharing the footage online without their consent.
The suspect, widely known as Yaytseslav, is described as a self-styled “pick-up artist” and blogger believed to be in his 30s.
Sources said the man allegedly travelled to Ghana where he secretly filmed his sexual encounters with women. It was alleged that he used sunglasses fitted with a hidden camera to record some of the encounters and later circulated the videos on social media. Officials, however, have not confirmed details of the recording method.
Reacting to the development on Saturday, Sam George, Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, said he had invited the Russian ambassador to discuss the matter.
Earlier, Ghana’s Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection disclosed that preliminary investigations suggested the suspect had likely left the country. The ministry stressed that this did not diminish the gravity of the alleged offences or the state’s responsibility to pursue accountability.
George said he had requested the Russian ambassador in Accra to seek Moscow’s cooperation in ensuring justice for the victims.
“The actions of the Russian citizen flout our cyber-security laws. I will officially indicate to the ambassador our official position,” the minister told the BBC.
“That gentleman will be looked for. We will activate every resource at our disposal, working with Interpol.
“We will request the Russian authorities to work with our law enforcement. We want the gentleman to be brought back to Ghana, extradited to Ghana, for him to face the rigours of our law,” he added.
However, Russia generally does not extradite its citizens except under exceptional circumstances.
The minister also stated that Ghana could proceed to try the suspect in absentia if he fails to return voluntarily.
Local media reports indicate that the same individual may have been linked to similar alleged offences in Kenya.
Under Ghana’s Cybersecurity Act 2020, anyone found guilty of publishing explicit images of adults or children without their consent faces up to 25 years’ imprisonment.