South Africa: nine foreign nationals arrested at Johannesburg airport, suspected of preparing to join the war in Ukraine – what the Hawks allege

Nine foreign nationals aged 20 to 26 are in custody in South Africa, suspected of preparing to leave the country to take part in the Russia-Ukraine war. The arrests were made on the evening of Sunday, November 8 at two locations in the greater Johannesburg area: O.R. Tambo International Airport and a hotel in the Bruma district. The young men, according to the authorities, were about to board flights abroad when they were spotted.

The case was made public on Monday, November 9 by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, known as the Hawks, in a post on the official account of the South African Police Service (SAPS). The operation was based on information gathered during the investigation and, according to the Hawks, was the product of a single multi-agency operation.

Interpol took part in the operation, along with the Hawks’ unit for crimes against the state and serious organised crime, based in Germiston. International law enforcement authorities, police Crime Intelligence, the Modus Operandi Centre, the Gauteng provincial tracking team for wanted persons and private security companies also took part.

The nine are expected to appear soon in the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court. They will be charged with violating Act 15 of 1998, the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. The law prohibits providing military assistance to foreign governments and taking part in foreign armies without the approval of the Pretoria government.

The acting head of the Hawks in Gauteng, Brigadier Paulina Sekgobela, praised the team’s coordination. The agency reiterated that it will continue to work with domestic and foreign authorities so that the country’s laws are upheld.

A front South Africa already has

South Africa already has an open front on the same issue. In November 2025 the Presidency announced that 17 South Africans aged 20 to 39, 16 from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Eastern Cape, had asked for help returning from Donbas. They had been lured into mercenary formations of the war with the promise of well-paid work contracts, and President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered an investigation into how they were recruited. The new case differs in that it concerns foreigners who, according to the authorities, were using the country as a departure point.

The issue of foreigners ending up on the battlefields also concerns international organisations. In October the United Kingdom accused Moscow at the OSCE of recruiting foreigners through deception and coercion, while Russia itself has confirmed the participation of North Korean soldiers in operations in the Kursk region.