South African law-enforcement agencies have moved to block what appears to be an active supply line feeding recruits into the Russia-Ukraine war, intercepting four alleged would-be fighters at OR Tambo International Airport before they could board a flight to Moscow via the United Arab Emirates.
The suspects, all South African men, were arrested on Friday, and are expected to appear before the Kempton Park Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act, 15 of 1998.
Their detention marks the clearest sign yet that foreign military recruitment is no longer occurring at the fringes of society, but directly through South Africa’s busiest international gateway.
Swift police action
According to the Hawks, airport police flagged the four passengers as suspicious shortly before boarding.
Hawks spokesperson Colonel Katlego Mogale said the tip-off set the dramatic arrest in motion.
“The arrests followed a tip-off from OR Tambo SAPS regarding four males who were en route to Russia via the United Arab Emirates. The individuals were intercepted and removed from the boarding gate after being flagged as suspicious, and subsequently referred to the Hawks’ Crimes Against the State (CATS) section,” said Mogale.
A preliminary investigation rapidly escalated the case into a wider national-security probe, where investigators uncovered the role of a suspected female facilitator who is believed to have arranged the men’s travel and “recruitment of these individuals into the Russian Federation military”.
Her identity has been withheld, but she is now regarded as a key figure in the operation.
Straight into the arm of the law
The dragnet widened even further when a separate suspect, thought to be involved in the facilitation of both the four detainees and a fifth man who had already left the country for Russia, arrived at OR Tambo the previous day.
“Upon the suspect’s arrival at OR Tambo International Airport on November 27, 2025, the individual was interviewed, during which further evidence was uncovered. This resulted in the arrest of three additional suspects on November 28, 2025,” Mogale stated.
Authorities seized electronic gadgets and two backpacks believed to contain information that could reveal the scale of the recruitment network, how many South Africans have already travelled to Russia, and who is ultimately funding the operation.
While investigators have not publicly linked the fresh arrests to the political storm surrounding MP Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, who resigned this week following allegations that she manipulated 17 men into travelling to a war zone, the proximity of the events has amplified fears that South Africa is being used as a recruitment ground for foreign wartime interests.
For the state, this matter has shifted from national embarrassment to security threats.
“Coordination with intelligence structures and international counterparts is ongoing to determine the full extent of the network and any further potential security threats,” Mogale stated.
The suspects remain in custody until their appearance in court on Monday.
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