South Africa says most of a group of 17 men lured into fighting for Russia set to return home
Source: Reuters
South Africa says most of a group of 17 men lured into fighting for Russia set to return home
Reuters
Tue, February 24, 2026 at 6:52 AM EST
1 min read
JOHANNESBURG, Feb 24 (Reuters) - South Africa's government said on Tuesday that 11 of a group of 17 men who were lured into fighting for Russia in Ukraine were set to return home soon, after an initial four landed back in the country last week.
A further two remained in Russia, with one in a hospital in Moscow, President Cyril Ramaphosa's office said in a statement.
Ramaphosa raised the fate of the 17 men, who sent distress calls to the South African government in November after getting trapped in Ukraine's Donbas region, in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin this month.
Reports of African men being lured into Russia with promises of jobs and ending up on Ukraine's front line have become more frequent in recent months, creating tensions between Moscow and some of the countries involved.
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Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/south-africa-says-most-group-115244495.html
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Russia's military has been significantly degraded
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These losses mean that Russia has been trying to recruit troops from foreign countries.