By Ashiru Taofeek Adewale
Four South African citizens who were allegedly tricked into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine have returned home, landing at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport on Wednesday, local media reported.
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), the men were met by authorities upon arrival and escorted to a police holding area as part of standard repatriation procedures.
Their return follows recent discussions between President Cyril Ramaphosa and Russian President Vladimir Putin about securing the safe return of South Africans caught up in the conflict.
It is not yet clear whether the four men are part of a larger group of 17 citizens that the presidency previously said it was working to bring home.
In November, Pretoria disclosed it had received “distress calls” from South Africans trapped in Ukraine’s Donbas region, who were reportedly deceived into joining mercenary forces.
A spokesperson for the presidency confirmed to AFP that the “process to secure the release of the men” is ongoing, indicating that additional repatriations could follow.
South African law prohibits citizens from participating in foreign conflicts without government approval. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the conflict has attracted mercenaries from multiple African nations, some of whom claim they were misled by recruiters.
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