SA men in Russia were promised bodyguard training, not war: Families

[File] OR Tambo International Airport , Johannesburg

Families of four South African men who were rescued from Ukraine have expressed gratitude to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Russian government for their safe return.

The four men arrived at the O.R. Tambo International Airport Wednesday.

They are among 17 men who had allegedly been lured to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war under the pretext of lucrative employment contracts.

A member of one of the families, who chose to remain anonymous, says parents were given a misleading account – that the individuals had been recruited for training as bodyguards.

“It’s been a very difficult time and difficult journey for the families because the parents were given a wrong narrative to say that these guys were hired to be trained as bodyguards but when they got that side, they were taken into a fight in Ukraine. What we are happy about is that we were able to communicate. We are happy that the president of the two countries –President Cyril Ramaphosa and President Putin – managed to come to a term and agree that these men must come back.”

WATCH | A representative of the families of the South Africans who arrived today from Russia expressed joy at the men’s return home. They were part of a group reportedly lured to Russia for bodyguard training. pic.twitter.com/Jq3LBgZ51O

— SABC News (@SABCNews) February 18, 2026