cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/44164675
- South Africans who went to Russia ended up in Ukraine
- They say they were recruited under false pretenses
- Conditions for them in Ukraine are harsh, they say
- They describe a lack of food and medical care
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.
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The scam that Dubandlela said ensnared his son came to light on November 6, when South Africa said it had received distress calls from 17 men aged between 20 and 39 who said they were trapped in Donbas.
An investigation into the scam by an elite police unit known as “Hawks” focused on the alleged involvement of one of former President Jacob Zuma’s daughters, Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla.
Zuma-Sambudla later resigned as lawmaker in the Umkhonto weSizwe opposition party led by her father. She has denied knowing of the scam. Zuma-Sambudla did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Her lawyer, Dali Mpofu, declined to comment.
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It is not just South Africans who unwittingly ended up in Ukraine’s war. Kenya said on Nov. 12 over 200 of its citizens were fighting for Russia in Ukraine, and that recruiting agencies were still actively working to lure more Kenyans into the conflict. Authorities in Botswana have said two men were duped into joining the war under false promises of jobs.
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Ukraine’s foreign minister said last month that more than 1,400 citizens from three dozen African countries were fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Russia does not provide details of non-Russians fighting in Ukraine.
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You’ve heard private companies offer foreign nationals VIP bodyguard jobs, but in reality its the US government that ends up sending those new hires to be front line mercenaries in an active war zone?
That is very VERY different than a uniformed US military recruitment sergeant operating out of a well marked suburban recruitment office offering teenagers adventure, money, and free college to get them to join the US Armed forces.
Yep, it’s phrased as “don’t worry, you won’t be deployed, you’ll mostly just be running errands on a us base for officers,” and then they were deployed to afganistan
So no, then. Because even if they were told that (and I don’t doubt you that happens), that recruit knows they’re talking to a uniformed US military recruiter and is actively engaging they are discussing joining the US military. They also know the US military has a long history of fighting hot wars. Any possible recruit the recruiters are talking to grew up with 14 years of Afghanistan war on the news.
This is nothing like being told you’re going to be a body guard of an oil company exec or pop star engaging in civilian activities in another country, which is how it sounds like these folks were sold on joining.
I don’t get what you guys are missing. Military recruiters in the states lie all the time about work, benefits, and so on to young people and then when they get shipped out to wherever.
The guy at no time said US was the same as Russia. He simply said the shitty tactics in recruitment by lies is similar.
Young people these days…
If he (and consequently you) are going to be vague about your definition of your definition of the word “tactics”, then you’re going to elicit a response that can assume the worst. The tactics specifically called out here in the article are about Russian operatives employing locals in another nation to recruit front line fighters under false pretenses in yet another nation. Thats a tactic. That’s the prime differentiator as to why this article is news.
Nothing about those tactics is similar to the way the US operates. Then you have this poster making a statement which can largely read they are accusing the USA of the same thing. It doesn’t help that the person you’re talking about is a “.ml” user whose lemmy instance has a long history of defending Russia.
Then OP needed say THAT, instead of his vague statement. Military recruiters aren’t lying they are recruiters nor are they lying they’re recruiting for the armed forces to fight wars.
Just because someone disagrees with you doesn’t mean they’re young.
You must be fun at parties…
I LOVE to hear arguments like this at parties. Booze helps.
You must be fun at parties…