Five accused of recruiting South Africans for Russian war

Five South Africans appeared in court yesterday on charges relating to recruitment and fighting for Russia in its war with Ukraine amid allegations that 17 South Africans had been tricked on to the frontlines.

- Rachel Savage

A female suspect was arrested on Thursday on her return to South Africa at OR Tambo international airport outside Johannesburg, police said. Three suspects were arrested at the airport on Friday and another on Saturday.

A police statement said: “The arrests emanate from a tipoff from OR Tambo SAPS [South African police service] regarding three males en route to Russia via the United Arab Emirates who were removed from the boarding gate as suspicious and referred to the Hawks’ [the directorate for priority crime investigation] crimes against the state section.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that a South African female had been facilitating the travel and recruitment of these individuals into the Russian Federation military.”