Seventeen South African men fighting as mercenaries in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region have issued desperate pleas for government assistance to return home, the presidency announced Thursday.
The men, aged between 20 and 39, contacted South African authorities claiming they were “trapped” in the conflict zone and seeking help to escape the fighting that has ravaged eastern Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
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.” Officials did not specify which side of the conflict the men are fighting for.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a full investigation into how the men were recruited, highlighting concerns about the illegal nature of their involvement. Under South African law, citizens are prohibited from joining foreign military forces without explicit government authorization.
The Donbas region, a heavily industrialized area bordering Russia, has become one of the war’s most intense battlegrounds, with both Ukrainian and Russian forces engaged in fierce fighting for control of the territory.
This latest development adds to growing evidence of African involvement in the Ukraine conflict. The Russian defense ministry claimed in March 2024 that at least 14 South African mercenaries had been killed since the war began, though this figure could not be independently verified.
The presidency’s statement underscores the human cost of mercenary recruitment, with young South Africans apparently deceived by promises of financial gain only to find themselves trapped in one of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones.
The government has not indicated what specific measures it might take to assist the stranded citizens or whether diplomatic channels are being pursued to secure their safe return.
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