17 South Africans Trapped in Donbas After Being Recruited by Mercenaries

South Africa is investigating the recruitment of its citizens for the war in Ukraine.

The South African government has announced that it has received distress calls from 17 citizens who found themselves in occupied Donbas after joining a mercenary force, Reuters reported.

The men, aged 20 to 39, were recruited under the pretext of high-paying contracts, the press service of President Cyril Ramaphosa said.

The head of state ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the participation of South African citizens in “mercenary activities,” which is a crime under the laws of the country.

According to government spokesman Vincent Magwenya, the South African authorities are working through diplomatic channels to ensure the return of their citizens.

Most of the recruits, 16 people, are from the KwaZulu-Natal province, and one more is from the Eastern Cape.

“President Ramaphosa strongly condemns the exploitation of young people by structures linked to foreign militaries,” the spokesman said.

Experts emphasize that high unemployment (over 30%) makes South African youth vulnerable to such schemes.

BBC previously reported that the Kremlin, through the African Corps, is trying to expand its influence in African countries by attracting men and women to work at Russian military enterprises.

Journalists discovered that more than 1,000 women from Africa and South Asia were sent to Tatarstan, to the Alabuga special zone, where they work at a drone manufacturing plant.

In September, the Kenyan police stopped an attempted human trafficking when more than 20 people were trying to send to Russia under the guise of employment – in fact, to participate in the war against Ukraine.

Kenyan law enforcement officers recently detained Mikhail Lyapin, an employee of the Russian Embassy, who, according to investigators, was recruiting locals to participate in the war against Ukraine.