Ghana social media erupts as Russian influencer accused of filming women without consent

Russian content creator Vyacheslav Trahov — known online as Yaitseslav, Yatseslav, or Yaitseslav Shurupov — is facing growing scrutiny in Ghana after a series of videos surfaced showing his interactions with Ghanaian women in Accra. According to reports fromNetbuzzafrica, the videos were filmed in public locations such as the shopping areas around Accra Mall and appeared on his channels on platforms including TikTok and YouTube. Some clips show him requesting phone numbers, with later footage implying that some women eventually visited his residence.

Behind the public-facing content, Trahov reportedly runs a paid subscription channel on Telegram, where he charges between 400 and 1,000 Russian Rubles (about $5–$13) for one month of access. The most widely circulated clip involves a woman identified as Angela, whom Trahov initially approached at a mall and who later appeared in a video filmed at his residence. This particular footage intensified concerns about privacy, consent, and potential exploitation.

As the videos spread, many Ghanaians began urging the Ghana Police Service to investigate possible violations of privacy laws and the ethics of monetising such interactions. Online commentators have also claimed that Trahov has produced similar content in countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Russia, Italy, and the United States — raising questions about whether this pattern extends beyond Ghana. The situation has evolved into a wider discussion about consent, digital privacy, influencer accountability, and the blurred boundaries between public interactions and monetised content creation in an age where wearable tech can record without detection. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express permission from ZAMBIA MONITOR.