South Africans dragged into Russia's war in Ukraine dig trenches, dodge bullets

FILE PHOTO: A Ukrainian serviceman walks near apartment buildings damaged by a Russian military strike, in the frontline town of Kostiantynivka in Donetsk region, Ukraine November 15, 2025. Oleg Petrasiuk/Press Service of the 24th King Danylo Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via REUTERS

DURBAN, South Africa, Dec 22 (Reuters) - South African father-of-three Dubandlela was overcome with pride when his 20-year-old son ‌signed up in July to receive elite training as a VIP bodyguard in Russia.

Five months later, Dubandlela is in despair. His son had fallen for an alleged recruitment scam in which he and at least 16 other South African men say they were conscripted by an unspecified ‌mercenary group and sent to join Russian forces in Ukraine.