Eleven men lured into Russia war returned to South Africa

Eleven South African men who were allegedly lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine returned to their home country Wednesday, AFP reporters saw.

They were part of a group of 17 who requested help from Pretoria 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.

AFP reporters saw the men -- including one in a wheelchair -- exiting the airport of Durban, 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.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said investigations into "the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into mercenary activities" were still ongoing.

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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 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 the South African media said the men were allegedly sent to Russia for security guard training by the opposition MK party, which is headed by ex-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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