Ramaphosa expresses gratitude as some South Africans return from fighting alongside Russian forces.

South Africa’s president on Tuesday expressed heartfelt gratitude to his Russian counterpart for the return of men who were lured into fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

In November, Pretoria said it had received distress calls from 17 men trapped in the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.

Four of the men returned home last week, 11 were expected to return soon, and two remained in Russia, according to the presidency.

President Ramaphosa expressed gratitude to President Vladimir Putin, who responded positively to his request to support the men’s return, the statement said.

The investigation into how these young men were recruited into mercenary activities is ongoing. South African law prohibits citizens from fighting for a foreign military without government authorisation.

The war triggered by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has involved mercenaries on both sides, including from several African countries. Ukraine’s foreign minister said in November that more than 1,400 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among Russian ranks.

CBI News reports that an investigator spoke to four Kenyans recently returned from Russia who said they were deceived by a Nairobi recruitment agency promising well-paid jobs.

A daughter of South Africa’s former president Jacob Zuma resigned from parliament after claims she was involved in recruiting men for Russian mercenaries. Reports said the men were allegedly sent to Russia for security training by the opposition MK party, headed by Zuma, who led South Africa from 2009 to 2018.