Four of the 17 men caught in Russia-Ukraine war back in South Africa

Four of the 17 South African men who were allegedly lured into theRussia-Ukrainewar with false promises of jobs returned to the country on Wednesday, landing at O.R. Tambo International Airport where they were then whisked away by police, public broadcasterSABCreported. This comes after PresidentCyril Ramaphosalast weekraised the matter directlywith his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation, with the latter pledging to assist in efforts to bring the men home.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola confirmed that some of the men had already arrived in the country. “President Ramaphosa is closing in on talks with the Russian president to work together to bring back children who were sold to a private security company in southern Russia. As I speak, some of them have already returned,” Lamola said.

The men are understood to have travelled to Russia last year after being offered what they believed were legitimate employment opportunities. Instead, they were drawn into activities linked to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Some are said to have sent distress messages to families and authorities, claiming they were misled about the nature of the work and found themselves in dangerous conditions. Government officials have been under mounting pressure from families and civil society groups to secure the return of citizens caught up in the conflict.