Seventeen South African men are stranded in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being duped with false job offers to join foreign mercenary forces, the Presidency has said. Most of the men, aged between 20 and 39, are from KwaZulu-Natal. Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said their recruitment contravenes the Foreign Military Assistance Act, which bans South Africans from fighting abroad without authorisation. President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation and is working through diplomatic channels to secure their return, condemning the exploitation of South African citizens for foreign military gain.