South Africa in talks with Russia over men ‘tricked’ into fighting in Ukraine

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 2 min read 100% complete by Rachel Savage in JohannesburgDecember 16, 2025 at 10:08 AM

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The South African government is in talks with Russia to repatriate 17 South African men allegedly tricked into fighting in Ukraine. The men were reportedly lured to Russia in July by Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, under the false pretense of bodyguard training or a personal development course. Government officials state the men were forced into the Russian military and face grave danger. Nkosazana Zuma-Mncube, another of Zuma's daughters, filed a police report alleging deception in the recruitment. Zuma-Sambudla has also filed a police report claiming she was deceived into believing it was a legitimate paramilitary training course. Relatives of the men have protested, demanding their safe return home.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Jacob Zuma ×260% Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla ×370% Cyril Ramaphosa ×280% Russia ×4100% South Africa ×3100%

Keywords

south africa 90% russia 80% ukraine 80% recruitment 70% fighting 70% human trafficking 60% duduzile zuma-sambudla 50% military forces 50% jacob zuma 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Russia

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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south africa russia ukraine recruitment fighting human trafficking duduzile zuma-sambudla military forces jacob zuma

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