S.African mercenaries in Ukraine send 'distress calls'
Africa
By
AFP
| Nov 06, 2025
The South African government has received pleas from 17 citizens who had joined mercenary forces fighting in Ukraine's war-ravaged Donbas region to help bring them home, the presidency said Thursday.
The war that started with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has drawn in mercenaries on both sides, including from several African countries.
The government had "received distress calls for assistance to return home from seventeen (17) South African men, between the ages of 20–39 years, who are trapped in the war-torn Donbas," the presidency said.
The statement did not make clear for which side the men were fighting.
The men were "lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts," it said.
READ MORE
KCA hosts 4th Innovation summit aimed at commercializing knowledge
Safaricom posts Sh58.2 billion net income as M-PESA drives growth
CS Wandayi roots for technology to address energy sector challenges
KPA acquires modern boats to boost efficiency
New hybrid solar system to help off-grid areas get clean energy
MPs demand public participation before housing, market projects begin
More pain at the pump as KPC bid to raise pipeline tariff gathers pace
Maritime lobby makes sexual harassment training mandatory
Why investors are rushing to build businesses near affordable housing units
Donbas, a largely industrial region in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia, is a key battleground in the war, with forces from both armies operating there.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the recruitment of South African men as mercenaries, the presidency said.
It is illegal for South Africans to join foreign armies unless authorised by the government.
The Russian defence ministry reportedly claimed in March last year that at least 14 South African mercenaries had been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war. The claim could not be independently confirmed.