Nine Zimbabwean nationals were stopped at a South African border post, allegedly attempting to leave the country to join the fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Russia.
The arrests have drawn fresh attention to a recruitment pattern that Ukraine says stretches across the continent. According to Ukrainian officials, hundreds of people from various African countries have been pulled into the conflict, enlisted to fight on Russia's side.
The details of how these nine men were recruited, what they were promised, and how far along their journey they were remain unclear from what has been reported so far. What is clear is that South Africa is now a transit point in a story that is much bigger than one border crossing.
Originally published by BBC Africa.