South Africa probes claims of citizens trapped as mercenaries in Ukraine war

South Africa says 17 of its citizens who joined mercenary groups in the Russia-Ukraine war have appealed for help from the Donbas region, where fighting continues.

The men, aged between 20 and 39, were allegedly recruited under false promises of well-paid work, according to government spokesman Vincent Magwenya. President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into how they were drawn into “seemingly mercenary activities.”

It…