Ukraine’s ambassador to South Africa on Thursday warned South Africans against being tricked into fighting for Russia as part of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Olexandr Shcherba (formerly Ukraine’s ambassador to Austria) told AFP that he was aware of 17 men who had been “fooled” into fighting a war “that Africa has nothing to do with,” adding it’s a colonial war, so seeing Africans fighting a colonial war against a free country is especially insane.”
Shcherba’s comments come in the wake of a disclosure by the South African government last week that it had received “distress calls” from men trapped on the frontlines in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
The government said that the men, aged 20-39, had been “lured” into joining the fighting in exchange for lucrative employment contracts – but did not specify whether they were fighting for Russia or Ukraine.
Kyiv, and its ambassador Shcherba, say that they were on the Russian side – and South African news outlet News24 said on Tuesday that they had evidence that the men had been sent there for “bogus ‘bodyguard’ training” by the uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) Party.
MK Party founder Jacob Zuma maintained close ties with Russia during his tenure as president of South Africa between 2009 and 2018. Cyril Ramaphosa, the current South African president, has ordered an investigation into News24’s claims.
“Ever since this news broke, I received emails from family members of these young people who were lured to the front line. And they were desperate,” Shcherba said. “Don’t do that to your mothers and fathers and sisters,” he urged South Africans
“We hope that the situation with Russia violating South African legislation and dragging or luring these people into this war will... be an eye-opener for South African society,” he added.
It is illegal for South African citizens to join foreign armies without the express permission of their government.
This scandal follows revelations that young men from Kenya and India among other places have been tricked or coerced into joining Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.