A sprawling digital scandal has ignited a firestorm of outrage across Ghana, raising urgent questions about consent, privacy, and the exploitation of African women by foreign nationals.
For weeks, a man moved through the corridors of the Accra Mall, a bustling hub of commerce and casual encounters in Ghana's capital. He was unremarkable—a foreigner with a friendly smile, an easy compliment, and a seemingly innocent request: "Come with me."
Those three words, captured on hidden cameras, have now become the refrain of one of the most disturbing viral scandals to grip West African social media in recent memory.
The man, who identifies himself online as Yaytseslav, stands accused of secretly recording intimate encounters with dozens of Ghanaian women and distributing the footage across multiple digital platforms—including a paid subscription channel where followers could access extended, private content for a monthly fee .
When the backlash became unbearable, he deleted the evidence and vanished from public view. But the questions he left behind have not disappeared with him.
THE CHARACTER: Who Is Yaytseslav?
The man at the centre of the storm presents himself as a Russian content creator, though verification of his nationality remains elusive. What is known is that he operated with a chillingly methodical approach .
Yaytseslav maintained active accounts on TikTok and YouTube, where he posted what appeared to be harmless summary videos of his daily interactions. But these public-facing clips were merely the teasers. The full catalogue of his encounters—including footage recorded inside his apartment—was locked behind a private Telegram channel accessible only to subscribers willing to pay approximately $5 per month.
Online checks suggest roughly 40 videos featuring Ghanaian women were in circulation, with some clips also reportedly featuring women from other African countries .
In one widely circulated clip, a woman he met while shopping at the mall is later seen in his residence wrapped in a large towel, apparently having just showered. The footage sparked immediate alarm, with viewers questioning whether she had any idea she was being filmed for a global audience .
THE METHOD: 'Come With Me'
Social media users who analysed Yaytseslav's content identified a disturbingly effective formula.
He would approach women at the Accra Mall, typically alone or in small groups, and initiate conversation with a compliment or a simple greeting. His accent and foreign appearance often served as conversation starters. Within minutes, he would deploy his signature line: "Come with me" .
According to reports, he frequently recorded these interactions using body cameras or smart glasses—likely Meta glasses—allowing him to capture footage without his subjects' awareness .
If a woman agreed to exchange phone numbers, the pursuit continued. If she accepted an invitation to his apartment—a luxury rental that lent him an air of credibility—the encounter would be documented in full. The resulting footage would then be processed into content: public summaries for TikTok and YouTube, extended private videos for Telegram subscribers .
One Ghanaian TikTok user, @jonathansyme, broke down the technique for local audiences. "He'd just be like, 'Hi, where are you going?' and then the girls follow," he observed. "So guys, when you go to town and see a girl at the Accra Mall, just go like, 'come with me'" .
The observation was intended as critique, not endorsement. But it highlighted a painful truth: the line worked, repeatedly.
THE EXCEPTIONS: Two Women Who Refused
Amid the avalanche of criticism directed at the women featured in the videos, some voices emerged to note that not everyone fell for the approach.
In one clip, Yaytseslav approached two women and asked if they were mother and daughter or sisters. They confirmed they were siblings. He complimented their appearance and mentioned he was from Russia.
Before he could proceed further, one of the women interjected: her sister was married. The other nodded in confirmation. When he attempted to give his contact card to the married woman, she showed no interest. He forced it into her hand before they parted ways .
Social media users hailed the sisters as exceptions who proved the rule—women who saw through the performance and declined to participate, regardless of the foreigner's charm offensive.
"If I could close the legs of other women so they don't open it for them, I surely will," one X user commented, capturing the frustration many felt watching the videos .
THE BACKLASH: Privacy, Consent, and Victim-Blaming
The public response to the scandal has been deeply divided—and deeply revealing.
Many users directed their anger at Yaytseslav himself, calling for his arrest and prosecution.
"The conversation here should be about the serious breach of trust, consent and apparent illegality. This is very sad," one X user wrote .
Another added: "A foreigner took advantage of and recorded intimate conversations and acts with unassuming women and has released these sensitive images and footages... The journey is long wallahi" .
But alongside these calls for accountability, a darker current emerged: victim-blaming. Numerous commenters seized the opportunity to attack the women involved, questioning their judgment and morality.
"So a random Russian guy met Ghanaian women at the mall, and the next day they are in his bed… Chale Ghana women be cheap oo," one user posted .
Another wrote: "Yo, that Russian guy's content is crazy. All the women in the videos I've seen didn't even think twice just because he's white. I don't understand how some women think" .
This line of commentary prompted fierce pushback from those who insisted the conversation must centre on the perpetrator's actions, not the victims' choices.
"This is a privacy violation and exploitation issue, not a 'Ghanaian men vs women' agenda," one woman responded. "The man who recorded and leaked those videos should be condemned" .
THE IDENTITY: A Face and a Name
As outrage mounted, Ghanaians demanded to know who was behind the camera. On February 12, Gossips24 TV—the outlet that first blew the whistle on Yaytseslav's activities—released footage offering a glimpse of his face .
Later that evening, the outlet went further, publishing a full image of the content creator shirtless, wearing dark sunglasses and his trademark blue wristwatch, grinning for the camera with a thumbs-up sign.
More significantly, they revealed what they claimed was his real name: Vyacheslav Trahov. The post suggested "Yaytseslav" was merely an online alias .
The revelation gave Ghanaians their first clear look at the man whose activities had dominated national conversation. But by then, he was already gone.
THE ESCAPE: Deleted Videos and a Vanished Presence
Sometime after the backlash intensified, Yaytseslav deleted all videos of his Ghanaian encounters from his TikTok account. A subsequent search showed only footage from other countries remaining on his page .
According to multiple reports, he left Ghana before the full extent of the scandal broke—departing the country before any legal action could be initiated .
His Telegram channel, however, is believed to remain active, continuing to monetise content recorded on Ghanaian soil featuring Ghanaian women who, by all indications, never consented to becoming online commodities .
THE LAW: What Does Ghana's Legislation Say?
Legal experts who reviewed the case have suggested Yaytseslav's activities likely violated multiple Ghanaian statutes.
Key among them is Section 67 of the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038), which criminalises the non-consensual sharing of intimate images. The law provides for significant penalties, including fines and imprisonment .
The challenge, however, is enforcement. With the alleged perpetrator believed to have left the country, Ghanaian authorities face significant hurdles in pursuing prosecution. The case also raises jurisdictional questions about crimes committed by foreign nationals that are only discovered after their departure.
As of this writing, the Ghana Police Service has not issued an official statement regarding the matter .
THE CONTINENTAL CONTEXT: Not an Isolated Incident
The Yaytseslav scandal did not unfold in a vacuum. Across Africa, similar incidents have sparked broader debates about the treatment of African women by foreign visitors and the exploitation of weak enforcement mechanisms.
In Kenya, around the same time, an 85-year-old Swiss national, Gisler Emil Johann, was arrested after allegedly being found with a missing 15-year-old girl inside his residence in the coastal tourist town of Watamu. The girl had been reported missing by her parents; neighbours raised concerns after noticing the minor in the man's company .
The arrest shattered the tranquil image of the expatriate enclave. Kenya's Directorate of Criminal Investigations vowed to pursue the case fully, warning that foreign nationality does not place anyone above the law .
These parallel cases have prompted uncomfortable questions across African social media. Some users argue that weak enforcement, corruption, and a hunger for foreign investment create environments where predators feel emboldened. Others insist the solution lies in strengthening local institutions so that anyone who breaks the law faces swift justice, regardless of nationality .
THE HUMAN COST
Beneath the legal arguments and the social media battles lies a simpler, more devastating reality: dozens of women, by all accounts unaware they were being filmed, now face the prospect of their most private moments circulating indefinitely on the internet.
The woman in the towel. The woman who laughed at his compliment. The woman who accepted his invitation, trusting a stranger who seemed friendly, foreign, and safe.
Their names are not known. Their faces, however, are now commodities—sold for five dollars a month to an audience of strangers who will never meet them, never know their stories, and likely never question whether they agreed to any of this.
The man who recorded them has moved on. His platforms are silent on Ghana now, filled instead with footage from other countries, other women, other "come with me" moments.
But the women remain. And so do the questions.
Who will hold him accountable? Who will protect the next woman he approaches? And who will tell her, before it's too late, that those three words might cost her everything?
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