By Wardah Wilkinson

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has instructed his government to investigate how 17 South African men were recruited and ended up fighting as mercenaries in the Russia-Ukraine war. The men, aged between 20 and 39 and reportedly trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region, have sent distress calls for assistance to return home, according to the South African government.

In a statement issued by the Office of the South African President on Thursday, it was stated that the citizens “were lured by promises of lucrative employment contracts.” The presidency further explained that “the South African government is working through diplomatic channels to secure their return, following their calls for assistance to return home.”

According to presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, President Ramaphosa has “ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities.” 

The statement from the presidency did not specify which side of the conflict South Africa was supporting. However, the president’s spokesperson clarified, “We do not know yet; therefore, an investigation is necessary.” 

It has been reported that the South African men are trapped in the Donbas region of Ukraine, which is currently under Russian military control. 

Over the past four years since the war began, both Moscow and Kyiv have been accused by developing countries, particularly African nations, of recruiting their citizens to fight on their behalf under false pretences.

Since 1998, it has been illegal in South Africa for citizens to engage in armed conflict on behalf of a foreign government. The South African government considers this a criminal offence under the South African Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998, which prohibits citizens or entities from offering or providing military assistance to foreign governments. Additionally, citizens are not permitted to serve in foreign armies unless authorised by the South African government. Violating this law can result in severe consequences, including imprisonment.

The statement mentioned that the mass enlistment originated from the south-eastern coast of the country. Of the 17 individuals, 16 are from KwaZulu-Natal, and one is from the Eastern Cape, the province of South Africa’s first democratic president, Nelson Mandela. 

Magwenya further explained, “President Ramaphosa and the South African government strongly condemn the exploitation of young, vulnerable people by individuals working with foreign military entities.”

Speaking to Diplomatic Insider, the Ukrainian embassy in Pretoria stated that they reject the allegation that the seventeen men were fighting as foreign soldiers for them, while the Russian embassy declined to comment at this stage. 

The new Kyiv ambassador, Olexander Scherba, who arrived in South Africa in September, stated that “the Ukrainian government was not aware of any South African citizens participating in the war in Ukraine.” He further added that the mercenaries who are involved were likely misled: “It seems they have been fighting on the side of the aggressor (Russia) in this war. Africans often get fooled and lured to fight in this colonial war.”

Scherba went on to urge South African citizens to “Don’t fall for it, don’t break the law of your country, and don’t support the aggressor. No amount of money in the world is worth it.” 

Recruitment of foreign soldiers from Africa and South Asia to work in a drone manufacturing plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia, was exposed in an investigation by BBC Africa Eye in August 2025. The report revealed that approximately 1,000 individuals were lured with promises of lucrative employment but were instead coerced into forced labour in the factory complex. The victims were predominantly young people who fell prey to deceptive recruitment tactics. In East Africa, Kenyan authorities announced in September that the government had rescued more than 20 people from a suspected trafficking ring. The ring had promised them employment in Russia but instead intended to send them to fight in Ukraine. The investigation also alleged that Ukraine has been detaining citizens of several countries, including Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba, and Sri Lanka, in prisoner-of-war camps.

Meanwhile, in September, a court in Najaf, Iraq, sentenced an Iraqi national to life imprisonment for trafficking people to Russia to fight as mercenaries. According to the court, “The convicted individuals, along with other defendants, formed groups and sent them to fight in foreign countries in exchange for financial sums.” This sentence was based on a 2012 Iraqi constitutional ruling that criminalises the recruitment or transportation of individuals for exploitation.

In response to the issue, Iraq’s parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee discussed the presence of Iraqi nationals fighting alongside the Russian and Ukrainian armies and promised to investigate and put an end to this practice. However, local media reports suggest that there may still be thousands of Iraqis fighting for Russia, lured by the promise of money or the opportunity to use Russia and Ukraine as a gateway to Europe.

The controversy surrounding the recruitment of mercenaries on African soil first emerged in March 2022. When the Foreign Ministry of Senegal publicly condemned a Facebook post by the Ukrainian embassy in Dakar. The post had encouraged Senegalese men to volunteer as mercenaries to fight against Russia, an act that Senegal deemed illegal.

At the time, then Senegal’s Foreign Minister, Mankeur Ndiaye, issued a strongly worded statement condemning the recruitment of volunteers, mercenaries, or “enemy combatants” on Senegalese soil and emphasised that such actions violated Senegal’s sovereignty and legal framework. 

In a follow-up statement released by Senegal’s Ministry of International Relations, the West African nation reminded its citizens and foreign visitors that recruiting volunteers, mercenaries, or any foreign fighters is prohibited under Senegalese law and carries criminal penalties. 

The Land of Teranga, went onto summoning the Ukrainian diplomat, Yurii Pyvovarov, to the ministry, where he was issued a “demarche”, a formal reprimand. After confirming the authenticity of the Facebook post, he was instructed to remove and withdraw it. 

However, the Senegalese ministry provided no further details regarding the outcome of the démarche.

Kyiv’s recruitment of foreign soldiers is not unique; similar campaigns have been reported in other nations. In 2022, Japanese media outlet The Mainichi reported that about 70 Japanese nationals had applied to become volunteer fighters for Ukraine after being signed up through a Tokyo‑based company, as revealed by the Embassy of Ukraine in Japan.