South Africa investigating recruitment of citizens into 'mercenary activities' in Russia-Ukraine war

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an investigation on Nov. 6 into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of 17 South African men for suspected mercenary activity in the Russia-Ukraine war, the South African Presidency said in a statement cited by SAnews, the government’s official news agency.

According to the statement, the South African government received distress calls from 17 men aged 20 to 39 who found themselves trapped in the Donbas region of Ukraine.

"Seventeen men, 16 of them from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape province, were lured into joining mercenary forces engaged in the Russia-Ukraine war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts," the presidency said.

South Africa’s 1998 Foreign Military Assistance Act prohibits citizens and organizations from offering or rendering "military assistance to foreign governments or participating in the armed forces of foreign governments unless authorized by the South African government."

"President Ramaphosa has directed that an investigation be undertaken into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into what appears to be mercenary activity," the statement read.

"The South African government is working through diplomatic channels to ensure the return of these young men following their requests for assistance to come home."

The statement did not specify which side the men were fighting for.

However, since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow has been actively recruiting foreign fighters from countries, often luring them with promises of employment or Russian citizenship.

North Koreans make up the largest number of foreigners fighting for Russia in Ukraine, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent on Oct. 15.

According to HUR, after North Korea, the largest groups of foreigners fighting for Russia are from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Cuba.

"Citizens of Syria, Serbia, Nepal, and some African countries have also participated in combat operations as part of Russian occupation units, but their numbers are significantly smaller," HUR added.

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