South Africa arrests four men suspected of planning to fight for Russia

The men were stopped at the boarding gate in Johannesburg on Friday, police said, weeks after reports another 17 South African men were stuck in Ukraine after being lured into joining mercenary forces with the promise of lucrative contracts.

It is illegal under South African law for citizens to provide military assistance to foreign governments or participate in foreign armies without authorisation.

"The arrests followed a tip-off from (Johannesburg airport police) regarding four males who were en route to Russia via the United Arab Emirates," the elite Hawks police unit said in a statement on Saturday.

"A preliminary investigation revealed that a South African female had allegedly been facilitating the travel and recruitment of these individuals into the Russian Federation military," it added.

The Hawks said the four suspects are expected to appear in court on Monday on suspicion of contravening the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered an investigation into how the 17 men ended up fighting in Ukraine, amid ongoing efforts to bring them home.

Police have also said they will investigate Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, a daughter of former South African President Jacob Zuma, who was accused by her half-sister of being involved in luring those men to Russia under false pretences.

Zuma-Sambudla resigned as a member of parliament on Friday, but has not publicly responded to the allegations.