Overview
- President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an investigation after 17 men, aged 20 to 39, called for help from eastern Ukraine’s Donbas.
- Authorities say the men were enticed with false promises of lucrative jobs; 16 are from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape.
- The government has not specified any affiliation, while Ukraine’s embassy in Pretoria said the group was not fighting for Ukraine and a Ukrainian intelligence source told POLITICO they were likely on Russia’s side.
- Diplomats are working to repatriate the men as the Presidency condemns the exploitation of vulnerable South Africans by foreign military networks.
- The case fits reports of deceptive recruitment of Africans into Russian wartime labor and combat roles, highlighting economic vulnerability in the men’s home provinces.