Four South Africans return home after fighting in Ukraine

Four South African men who were reportedly lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine have returned home, local media reported on Wednesday. 

Their arrival follows talks between South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin about the return of South Africans caught up in the conflict.

It remains unclear whether the four men are part of the 17 individuals the South African presidency previously said it was working to bring back.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation showed the men arriving at Johannesburg’s main airport before they were escorted to a police holding area.

The presidency told AFP the “process to secure the release of the men” was still ongoing.

In November, Pretoria said it had received “distress calls” from 17 men who were trapped in the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.

South African law prohibits its citizens from fighting for a foreign country’s army without government authorisation.

The war that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has drawn in mercenaries on both sides, including from several African countries.

An AFP investigation spoke to four Kenyans recently returned from Russia who said they were deceived by a Nairobi recruitment agency into travelling to Russia under false promises of well-paid jobs.

A daughter of South Africa’s ex‑president Jacob Zuma resigned from parliament after claims she was involved in recruiting men to join Russian mercenaries.

Reports in South African media said the men were allegedly sent to Russia for security training by the opposition MK party, which is headed by Zuma, South Africa’s president between 2009 and 2018.

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