In brief
- The men were trapped fighting in Ukraine's Donbas region after allegedly being tricked into joining mercenary forces.
- South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for helping secure their return.
Eleven South African men — who were allegedly lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine — have returned to their home country.
They were part of a group of 17 who requested help from the South African government in November as they were trapped in the epicentre of the fighting in Ukraine's Donbas region, after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.
Four of the men landed in Johannesburg last week, while two remained in Russia, where one of them was in hospital, according to the South African government.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for helping to secure the return of the cohort.
"The investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into mercenary activities is ongoing," Ramaphosa's office said in a statement.
Reporters saw the men — including one in a wheelchair — exiting King Shaka International Airport in the coastal KwaZulu-Natal province, with their luggage and escorted by police to a holding area.
Local television reported that family members waiting at the airport broke down as they saw the men disembark.
The war sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has drawn in mercenaries on both sides, including from several African countries.
Ukraine said on Wednesday that more than 1,780 citizens from 36 African countries had been identified among Russia's ranks, and that some of them had been captured.
Reports in South African media said the men were allegedly sent to Russia for security guard training by the opposition MK party, which is headed by former president Jacob Zuma — South Africa's leader between 2009 and 2018.
One of Zuma's daughters, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, resigned from parliament after claims she was involved in recruiting the men to join Russian forces.
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