INFOGRAPHIC | Timeline of South Africans in the Russian Armed Forces

Ukrainian and Russian flags are seen on a table before the talks between officials of the two countries in the Brest region, Belarus March 3, 2022.

Four of the 17 men allegedly lured to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war arrived at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport on Wednesday. While families of the four men have expressed gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Russian government for their safe return, International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola says there were difficulties in the process of returning them from Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation says Moscow has recruited at least 18,000 foreign fighters from 128 countries.

Ukrainian Brigadier General Dmytro Usov says almost 3,400 foreigners have died fighting for Russia.

Ukraine previously said that it was holding citizens of various countries, including Somalia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cuba and Sri Lanka, at prisoner-of-war camps.

A BBC investigation found young women had been taken to the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan in Russia to work in a drone factory. It is estimated more than 1,000 women have been recruited from across Africa and South Asia to work in Alabuga’s weapons factories.

Ukraine has reportedly also stepped up its recruitment of foreign soldiers, with as many as 2000 believed to have been signed up, mainly from Europe and the US.