Olexander Scherba, Ukraine’s Ambassador to South Africa, has issued a stark warning to South Africans caught up in the turmoil of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, urging them to “surrender” rather than engage in the fighting.

The advice comes after the South African government announced on Thursday that it had received distress calls for assistance to return home from 17 South African men, aged between 20 and 39, who are trapped in Ukraine’s war-torn Donbas region.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the men were lured to join mercenary forces involved in the Ukraine-Russia war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.

Of the 17 men, 16 are from KwaZulu-Natal, and one is from the Eastern Cape.

Ambassador Scherba stated that they learned about the 17 South Africans in Ukraine’s Donbas region through news reports.

Scherba expressed the nation’s “worry and outrage” regarding this incident.

“We understand that these men were lured to fight against Ukraine on Russia’s side. Neither their whereabouts nor the details of their situation are known to us,” he said.

He stated that the Ukrainian government’s position on foreign nationals joining mercenary forces or participating in the conflict is that citizens of South Africa, like any other country, should observe the laws of their country.

The Presidency stated that under the Foreign Military Assistance Act of 1998, it is illegal for South African citizens and entities to offer or provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in armies of foreign governments unless authorised by the South African government.

Scherba stated that mercenaries are fighters who fight for money, adding that Russia offers lucrative contracts to Africans across the continent to participate in their war of conquest.

“Ukraine’s message to these people is: don’t fall for it. No money is worth losing your life fighting for a power that is conducting aggression against its neighbour,” he said.

Scherba noted that Ukraine has no influence over the destiny of the combatants who fight against their country unless they surrender.

“If they surrender, they will be treated as prisoners of war under international law. If they don’t, they will be fought against as part of the imperialist force that came to take away our freedom and our lives,” he stated.

However, Scherba stated that Ukraine has an ongoing and very constructive dialogue with South Africa.

He offered advice to South Africans who may have entered the country under false pretences related to employment but ended up in a conflict zone: “We urge South Africans to be smarter than that and not to trust a country that started this imperial, barbaric, and insane war. If you are caught in the middle of it – don’t fight, surrender.”

Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into these seemingly mercenary activities.

In addition, Magwenya said the South African government is working through diplomatic channels to secure the return of these young men following their calls for assistance to return home.

The Presidency did not respond to requests for additional comment, nor did the Russian embassy in South Africa.

karen.singh@inl.co.za

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