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Conned Into Combat: How 17 South Africans Landed up Fighting for Russia in Its War on Ukraine

Summary by News24
Seventeen young men left Johannesburg bound for Russia on 8 July 2025 for training as bodyguards for former president Jacob Zuma’s MK Party. They soon discovered they were destined for the frontlines in Russia’s war on Ukraine. So far, there has been no success in bringing them back home.

4 Articles

Lean Left

The accusations against Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of the South African ex-president, weigh heavily: she is said to have recruited men for the Ukraine war.

More than 1400 Africans from 36 countries are allegedly fighting for Russia – much more than previously assumed. A bizarre family drama in South Africa's elite sheds light on recruitment.

·Zürich, Switzerland
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Bias Distribution

  • 34% of the sources lean Left, 33% of the sources are Center, 33% of the sources lean Right
34% Left

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Neue Zürcher Zeitung broke the news in Zürich, Switzerland on Tuesday, December 2, 2025.
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