‘I’m now surviving on one kidney and a metal-adjusted liver’ – Ghanaian Russian recruit cries out
He never bargained to fight in the Russia–Ukraine war, but a pursuit of better economic opportunities sold to him by a travelling agent has left him with scars he may never recover from.
Maxwell Aidoo, a 25-year-old native of the Central Region, now relies on one kidney and a liver adjusted with metal after a drone manned by Ukrainian soldiers attacked him.
His story is a reflection of the deep role travel agents and social media platforms are playing in leading unsuspecting Ghanaians to the frontlines.
Maxwell says he is the only survivor of his battalion on that fateful day when he stepped on a landmine and was spotted by drones.
Speaking to JoyNews, he explained that his misfortune began when he was transferred from the tank battalion to the assault battalion.
The returnee combatant recounted that when he signed the contract qualifying him as a Russian soldier, he was given an empty bullet casing on which his name was inscribed.
“These bullet casings are what enable the command unit to identify your remains when you are killed on the frontline.”
He revealed that the army deploys soldiers to the frontlines for three months, and if you are fortunate to survive, “they assign you one month of rest before you return to the battlefield.”
He recalled that it was even perilous getting to their duty post near the Ukrainian border.
“By the time we completed the five-day journey to where we had been assigned, almost half of the battalion had lost their lives. You are either killed by a landmine, an explosion, or you are shot.”
He stated that on the frontline, their tasks included monitoring enemy activity, noting the direction of missiles fired, and delivering food to other soldiers via drones.
“This is because the assault on the Ukrainians is a 24-hour operation. You are only given one hour to rest, which is woefully inadequate. Every hour, you need to alert your commander that you are alive. You are not permitted to oversleep because you risk being ambushed.”
Maxwell said he struggled to sleep while on the battlefield because, aside from the need to remain vigilant, everywhere he looked, he saw dead bodies.
His worst moment occurred on the second day at the frontline. He had been sent to replace someone, but accidentally stepped on a landmine.
“When it exploded, the blast threw me against a tree. However, this alerted a nearby Ukrainian unit, and they targeted my battalion. I believe my actions led to their deaths,” he lamented.
The grief-stricken 25-year-old said when he regained consciousness, it became a struggle for survival as drones trailed him, aiming to kill him.
His injuries to his kidney and liver occurred when one of the drones attacked, but he managed to save his life by crawling into a nearby bunker and administering first aid to himself.
“I sealed the perforated veins and bandaged my stomach. That was what we were taught to do during training if we ever got injured.”
The ensuing moments were more torturous than he had imagined. After waiting three hours for evacuation with no help in sight, he began a three-day journey to a Russian safe zone with no food and limited medical supplies.
“My food had been destroyed. When I became thirsty, I ate snow and sand while pushing toward the safe line. All I thought about was survival. I believe being alive today is by grace.”
Maxwell said he was spotted after the third day. He collapsed a few meters from the safe zone and was stabilised at a Moscow military hospital after spending several days in a coma.
“I am depending on one kidney, and I am surviving on a liver adjusted with metal. I am now mindful of what I eat,” he indicated.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian agent who once helped him travel to Russia allegedly swindled him of his compensation while he was making frantic efforts to return to Ghana.
He explained that because he joined the Russian army illegally, he feared he would not be able to leave the country since he had not completed his contract.
Recounting how he ended up fighting in what Russia describes as a “special military operation,” the 25-year-old said it began through a travelling agent he met in Dubai.
“The agent called me one day and said he had secured a well-paying job opportunity for me. He told me I would act as an assistant helping military personnel with various tasks. I was not told I would be fighting in the war,” he recounted.
According to him, although the cost of his flight was covered, he was detained for about four hours at a Russian airport to ensure he was not a spy.
He stated that three Ghanaians embarked on the journey and were hosted by a man of Russian descent with a military background in a hostel-like apartment.
“We drove for four hours to a military warehouse. We spent two weeks there, and during that period, they took us to a military medical base for examinations. That was when I started panicking,” he said.
Maxwell claimed there was also a Ghanaian intermediary whose job was to scout recruits from different countries to join the Russian army, earning $1,000 for each person enlisted.
According to him, their initial belief that they were being recruited as batmen (assistants to military officers) was shattered when they were woken up one dawn and made to sign contracts.
He explained that the contracts were in Russian, and they were pressured to sign them.
“We were sent to a camp where we met 51 other African nationals—Zambians, South Africans, Nigerians, among others. We were congratulated and told we had joined the army. It was a shock.”
He said that when he attempted to back out, the Ghanaian agent threatened that he would have to reimburse the cost of the visa and flight tickets paid by the Russian military committee.
The returnee added that he was stranded at that point because he lacked the resources to pay those fees and had to accept his fate.
“They threatened us to join. We couldn’t refuse because we feared we would be shot.”
He explained that they were given military accoutrements and transported to the Ukrainian border
“We just had to obey everything we were told, despite panicking.”
He stated that they were trained for three weeks on how to handle explosives, use weapons, and read maps for missions.
Maxwell claimed he was fortunate during his first deployment.
“I was deployed to the tank battalion to destroy villages before the ground assault began.”
However, that mission summed up his regrets on the frontline.
“You fight on all fronts. You are battling landmines, long-distance missiles, drones, and gunfire. It isn’t easy.”
This article was produced with support from the African Academy for Open Source Investigations (AAOSI) and the African Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) as part of an initiative by Code for Africa (CfA). Visit https://disinfo.africa/ for more information.
SOURCE: Myjoyonline.com
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