The South African government has confirmed receiving urgent requests for assistance from 17 citizens who joined mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region, appealing to be brought back home.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Presidency said the men aged between 20 and 39 are currently trapped in the conflict zone, which has been at the center of the Ukraine-Russia war since the invasion began in 2022.
According to the statement, the group had been “lured to join mercenary forces under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts,” though it remains unclear which side they were fighting for.
The Donbas, an industrial hub in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, has been one of the fiercest battlegrounds in the ongoing war, with thousands of casualties reported from both sides.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has since ordered an investigation into the recruitment and involvement of South Africans in foreign conflicts.
Under South African law, it is illegal for citizens to enlist in foreign armies or mercenary groups without official authorization from the government.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed in March last year that at least 14 South African mercenaries had been killed in Ukraine, although the report has not been independently verified.
