South African police have arrested nine foreign nationals over an alleged attempt to travel from the country to participate in the Russia–Ukraine war.
The suspects, aged between 20 and 26, were detained late on Sunday, 8 November, at O.R. Tambo International Airport and a hotel in Bruma, Johannesburg, according to an official statement from the South African Police Service.
Police said the nine were allegedly preparing to board flights out of South Africa when officers intervened. Authorities have not disclosed their nationalities or said which side in the conflict they were allegedly seeking to join.
Suspects expected in court
The suspects are expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court over alleged contraventions of South Africa’s Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act.
The legislation regulates the provision of military assistance abroad and prohibits mercenary activity. The arrests are allegations at this stage: the suspects have not been convicted, and the police statement did not provide a date for their court appearance.
The Associated Press independently reported the arrests, citing police, and said the operation involved Interpol and South African and international law-enforcement agencies.
Investigation involved several agencies
South Africa’s Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, said the intervention followed an intelligence-led investigation involving Interpol, police crime intelligence, international agencies and provincial tracking teams.
Brigadier Paulina Sekgobela, acting provincial head of the Hawks in Gauteng, commended the agencies involved, according to the official statement.
The authorities have not publicly provided evidence about how the suspects were allegedly recruited, their intended route after leaving South Africa or the role they were expected to perform. Those details remain under investigation.
Wider concern over war recruitment
The case comes amid wider concerns about Africans being recruited for the Russia–Ukraine war, including through offers described by authorities in several countries as deceptive civilian employment opportunities.
Those broader cases do not establish the circumstances of the nine arrests in Johannesburg, and BaretaNews has not independently verified the allegations against the individuals detained.
Featured image: BaretaNews/BMC editorial composite showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It illustrates the war context and does not show the suspects, the arrests or O.R. Tambo International Airport.
