Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African President, has expressed his gratitude to President Putin of Russia for facilitating the return of distressed South Africans. Upon learning of his citizens’ predicament, Ramaphosa called Putin and spoke with him by phone.
When did South Africa Receive Distress Calls?
It has taken around three months since the South African government first received distress calls from South Africans trapped in the battlefields in far-off Europe. In November 2025, a group of South African men called their country and said they were unable to leave the battlefields where they were engaged as mercenaries.
The Distressed African Fighters Were Tricked into War
The South African men trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war said they did not set out to work as mercenaries. Rather, they believed they had found an opportunity to train as bodyguards in Russia, training that would enable them earn decent wages back home.
The distressed men were said to be 17, and it was a relief for South Africa to receive four of them back on Friday, 20th 2026. Meanwhile, the president’s office said 11 more would arrive soon. However, the remaining two would return a little later.
The Fate of Kenyans Trapped in the Russia-Ukraine War
In Kenya, parents of young men trapped in the Russia-Ukraine war continue to put pressure on the government to help rescue them. Apparently, there are hundreds or more distressed young Kenyans in the far-off battlefields, who, like their South African counterparts, are said to have been tricked into war.
Meanwhile, the foreign affairs office is said to be making efforts to rescue those Kenyans. However, unlike in South Africa, where the president spoke directly with his Russian counterpart, the discussions in Kenya are said to be between the Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary and the Russian and Ukrainian ambassadors in Kenya.
One young Kenyan man, whom the Kenyan embassy in Russia helped return in early 2026, reported having witnessed thousands of dead bodies strewn all over the battlefields. He said he had faked insanity and was admitted to a heavily guarded Russian hospital, from where he faked a plan that saw him reach the embassy.