On 25 February, eleven South African men who had been stuck for months under Russian military command in the Donbas region landed at Durban airport. Some hid their faces from the news cameras as police escorted the group to a building for interrogation by South Africa’s serious crime unit, the Hawks. Seemingly duped into enlisting on Russia’s side in its offensive in Ukraine, the men’s release only came after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin. The saga has been embarrassing for South Africa’s government, which has long maintained close relations with Russia.   

The men’s arrival followed public pressure on Ramaphosa’s government to secure the return of seventeen South Africans who had sent distress calls from the war’s front line in late 2025. Relatives circulated WhatsApp messages to show that the men had been misled into flying to Russia by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former President Jacob Zuma, through false promises of training as bodyguards for her father’s MK Party. Zuma-Sambudla is already on trial for incitement related to deadly riots in 2021, and could now face charges of human trafficking and contravening anti-mercenary laws.

South Africa is not the only African government under pressure to repatriate citizens deceived into joining Russia’s war effort. In November, Ukraine’s foreign minister tweeted that over 1,400 men from 36 African countries were enlisted in Russia’s army. Soon afterward, videos and photos of African recruits surfaced on social media, while press reports revealed that recruitment networks had lured men to Russia with false promises of jobs. According to personal accounts from front-line survivors, Russian consulates across Africa often facilitated visa arrangements.

Growing public disquiet seems to have compelled some governments to speak out. On 15 February, Nigeria’s foreign ministry expressed “grave concern” over what it described as a “rising and alarming trend of Nigerian citizens being illegally recruited”. Three days later, Kenya’s parliament majority leader, Kimani Ichung’wah, presented an intelligence report to parliament describing in detail how “rogue” employment agencies were targeting Kenyan men with false promises of jobs as cleaners, cooks or security guards, only for them to be coerced into signing contracts in Russian they did not understand. At least 1,000 Kenyans have been enlisted to fight for Russia, Ichung’wa said.

Kenya is now mulling measures that would make it illegal for citizens to enlist in a foreign army, while Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi is reportedly set to travel to Moscow to demand a halt to the recruitment practices. Meanwhile, in a departure from Ghana’s traditionally cautious approach, Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa flew to Kyiv on 25 February to discuss the release of two Ghanaian prisoners of war.

Russian embassies in Abuja and Nairobi have strenuously denied any involvement. But the recruitment scandal makes clear that the Ukraine war is no longer a distant geopolitical issue for African governments. As their citizens become directly entangled in the conflict, leaders could face mounting domestic pressure that makes it more difficult to stick to principles of non-alignment.