Yaytseslav Videos: NPP’s Frank Bannor Suggests Russian Man is Distraction from the Cocoa Issues
- Dr Frank Bannor has urged Ghanaians to ignore the viral videos of Russian man Vyacheslav Trahov’s encounters with local women, calling for focus on more pressing issues
- The Finance Minister, Dr Ato Forson, announced a cut in cocoa producer prices amid a global slump and COCOBOD’s GH¢32 billion debt, prompting reforms to protect farmers
- Dr Bannor stated that Ghana’s cocoa sector challenges deserve far more attention than the Russian man’s controversial antics
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
A member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Frank Bannor, has waded into discussions about the Russian man, Vyacheslav Trahov’s trending videos of his escapades with several Ghanaian women.
Since the evening of Thursday, 12 February 2026, Ghana’s social media space has been awash with commentary on the activities of Vyacheslav Trahov, also known as Yaytseslav, after clips of his encounters with some Ghanaian women surfaced online.
Source: Facebook
In many of the controversial videos, Yaytseslav was seen moving around the Accra Mall area, interacting with female shoppers and other passers-by he encountered on the streets.
He would later invite them to his apartment and record their conversations and escapades with his Meta glasses to share online, reportedly without their permission.
The videos sparked outrage among Ghanaians, with many questioning how he was able to enter the country and carry out his activities unnoticed.
Dr Frank Bannor’s reaction to Yaytseslav’s videos
Reacting to the trending topic, Dr Frank Bannor, who is also a development economist and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Economic Research and Public Policy (IERPP), subtly suggested that the Russian man may have been planted to divert attention from the issues bedevilling Ghana’s cocoa sector.
In a Facebook post, he urged his followers to focus on the cocoa-related issues and called for better treatment of poor farmers.
“Dear you! Focus on the cocoa issue! Ignore the Russian nonsense! Don’t be distracted. Thank you for your attention!” he wrote.
Read Dr Frank Bannor's Facebook post below:
What are the issues affecting Ghana’s cocoa sector?
Ghana’s cocoa sector is undergoing a major overhaul, driven by a global price slump and a debt crisis at the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD).
Addressing a press conference on 12 February 2026, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, announced that the government would slash the producer price of cocoa beans for the remainder of the 2025/2026 season.
Source: UGC
The new price, he said, will be GH¢2,587 per bag (GH¢41,392 per tonne), down from the previous GH¢3,625 per bag promised in 2025.
Dr Ato Forson explained that global cocoa prices had fallen by nearly 70 per cent from their late-2024 peak, dropping below the US$6,400 per tonne needed to cover farm-to-port costs.
To soften the blow, he said farmers would receive 90 per cent of the gross Free On Board (FOB) price, exceeding the standard 70 per cent minimum.
The Finance Minister also announced a draft set of reforms the government intends to roll out to defray COCOBOD’s outstanding debt of approximately GH¢32 billion.
In addition, President John Mahama has directed the Attorney-General to conduct a criminal investigation and forensic audit into COCOBOD’s operations over the past eight years.
For Dr Bannor, these issues are more pressing and deserve the attention of the citizenry more than conversations about the Russian man’s escapades with Ghanaian women.
Cyber Security Authority to investigate Russian man
Meanwhile, YEN.com.gh reported that the Cyber Security Authority would launch investigations into the videos of Yaytseslav's dealings with some Ghanaian women.
In a video, a high-profile figure from the Cyber Security Authority publicly addressed the controversial videos trending online.
Benjamin Madugu also issued a stern warning to Ghanaians flooding social media with Yaytseslav's controversial videos.
Source: YEN.com.gh
