Seventeen South African men, aged between 20 and 39, have found themselves trapped in Ukraine’s embattled Donbas region, caught up in the Russia-Ukraine war under circumstances that have shocked both their families and their government. According to multiple official statements and news reports, these men were allegedly lured into the conflict zone by the promise of lucrative employment contracts, only to discover that they had been drawn into mercenary activities—a situation that has sparked urgent action at the highest levels of the South African government.
On November 6, 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an immediate investigation into how these young men, sixteen from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape, ended up as participants in a foreign war—a move confirmed by the South African Presidency and widely reported by outlets including Reuters, The Guardian, and The Kyiv Independent. The men, having sent distress calls for help, are now seeking assistance to return home, prompting diplomatic efforts and a broader reckoning with the dangers of foreign recruitment targeting vulnerable South Africans.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities,” the Presidency said in a statement, as cited by SAnews. The government emphasized that it is working through diplomatic channels to secure their safe return following their pleas for help.
What remains uncertain, even as the investigation gets underway, is which side of the conflict the men were fighting for. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told Reuters, “We don’t know yet, hence the investigation.” The Donbas region—where the men are believed to be trapped—has been a flashpoint since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and is now largely under Russian military control. Moscow has faced repeated accusations from developing countries of recruiting foreign nationals, often under false pretenses, to fight in its ranks.
South Africa’s legal position on such matters is unequivocal. The Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998 makes it illegal for South African citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments or to join foreign armed forces without explicit government authorization. “Working as a mercenary or fighting on behalf of another government has been a crime in South Africa since 1998,” Bloomberg reported, underscoring the seriousness of the allegations and the potential legal consequences for those involved.
The case of the 17 men has put a spotlight on a growing trend of foreign fighter recruitment, particularly among economically vulnerable populations. According to The Guardian, both sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict have enlisted foreign fighters, but Russia has done so on a much larger scale, often relying on coercion and deception. Reports have surfaced of Russian authorities and intermediaries targeting African nationals, as well as recruits from Nepal, Syria, and Cuba, with promises of non-military jobs that turn out to be fronts for combat roles. In September 2025, the Ukrainian military released a video of a captured Kenyan fighter who claimed he had been tricked into fighting for Russia.
This is not an isolated phenomenon. Kenya’s foreign ministry recently reported that some of its citizens were detained in Russian military camps after being caught up in the conflict under similar false pretenses. “Agents who masquerade as working with the Russian government… use unscrupulous methods including falsified information to lure innocent Kenyans into the battlefield,” the ministry said in a statement on October 27. Countries such as India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have also reported that their citizens have been recruited under deceptive circumstances to join Russia’s war effort.
South Africa itself has previously warned its citizens about such dangers. In August 2025, the government issued an alert to young people to be wary of fake job offers in Russia, particularly after reports emerged of South African women being tricked into manufacturing drones for the Russian military—a problem that the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime says has affected women from more than 20 African countries.
For the families of the 17 trapped men, the current crisis is a nightmare come to life. The men’s journey began with the hope of well-paid work, but has ended with them stranded in a war zone, their legal status uncertain, and their safety at risk. The South African government has condemned the exploitation of its citizens by foreign military recruiters and is now under pressure to act swiftly. The Presidency’s statement made clear its stance: “The South African government is working through diplomatic channels to secure the return of these young men following their calls for assistance to return home.”
The broader context is equally troubling. As the war in Ukraine drags on, the demand for manpower has led both sides to expand their recruitment efforts beyond their borders. Ukraine has openly called for international volunteers through its International Legion, attracting fighters from Europe, the US, and, more recently, about 2,000 Colombian nationals. Yet, as military analyst Franz-Stefan Gady noted to The Guardian, “The role of foreign fighters on both the Ukrainian and Russian side has somewhat increased over the last two years.” Still, Jethro Norman, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, emphasized that while the numbers are small, “symbolically, they punch far above their weight, especially in propaganda and recruitment narratives.”
For Russia, the presence of foreign fighters is particularly notable. According to Ukrainian military intelligence cited by The Kyiv Independent, North Koreans are now the largest group of foreigners fighting for Russia, followed by recruits from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Cuba. Citizens from Syria, Serbia, Nepal, and several African countries have also joined Russian occupation units, though in smaller numbers. Thousands of North Korean soldiers have been sent by Pyongyang, with hundreds estimated to have died in the fighting.
Meanwhile, the issue of foreign recruitment is amplified by the proliferation of social media campaigns. Chinese influencers, for example, have been seen promoting the supposed glamour and rewards of joining the Russian military, despite Beijing’s official stance of discouraging its citizens from participating in the conflict.
As South Africa moves forward with its investigation, the government faces tough questions. How did these men fall victim to such a scheme? Were there gaps in oversight or public awareness? And, crucially, what steps can be taken to prevent more young South Africans from being drawn into foreign conflicts under false pretenses?
While the answers are still emerging, one thing is clear: the plight of these 17 men has exposed the human cost of a global recruitment network that preys on hope and desperation. The outcome of the investigation—and the fate of the trapped men—will be closely watched, not just in South Africa, but around the world.
