The South African government says it has received pleas for help from 17 citizens who joined mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region and now want to return home.
In a statement on Thursday, the presidency said the men, aged between 20 and 39, had contacted South African authorities seeking assistance to leave the war zone.
The war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has attracted foreign fighters from around the world, including several from African nations.
According to the presidency, the South Africans were “lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.” It did not specify which side they were fighting for.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into how South African citizens were recruited to fight in the conflict.
The government reminded citizens that it is illegal for South Africans to join foreign military forces or participate in conflicts abroad without official authorization.
The Donbas region, an industrial area in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, has been one of the main battlefronts in the ongoing war.
Last year, Russia’s defence ministry claimed that at least 14 South African mercenaries had been killed in Ukraine since the fighting began, though the report could not be independently verified.
The presidency said it is working through diplomatic and legal channels to determine how to safely repatriate the trapped men while ensuring accountability for their involvement in the conflict.
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