The South African government has announced it is working to repatriate 17 citizens who were allegedly tricked into fighting in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to an official statement, the men, aged 20 to 39, were lured by promises of lucrative employment contracts and are now trapped in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region. President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding their recruitment, which the government describes as mercenary activities. While the statement did not specify which side the South Africans were fighting for, it highlighted that such service for foreign armies is illegal for citizens without state authorization. This incident follows a recent government warning about fake job offers in Russia, revealing an alarming trend of South Africans being targeted by deceptive overseas employment schemes.
Reuters
