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How Russia Recruited South African Gamers Through Discord to Fight—and Die—in Ukraine
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Russia recruited young South African men to fight in its war against Ukraine using the online gaming platform Discord. The recruitment strategy offered military contracts, Russian citizenship, and educational opportunities to attract participants.
According to Bloomberg on January 7, two South African men, both in their early twenties, left their country in July 2024 after interacting with a Discord user named “@Dash” while playing the military simulation game Arma 3.
A person familiar with the case said the recruits later met in Cape Town and visited the Russian consulate before flying to Russia through the United Arab Emirates. Once in Russia, they signed one-year military service contracts near Saint Petersburg.
One of the men was sent to Ukraine as an assistant grenade launcher operator after several weeks of basic training. His family last heard from him on October 6. On December 17, a friend informed them that he had been killed.
A medical document dated January 10, 2025, confirmed his death on October 23, 2024, near Verkhniokamianka in the Luhansk region. The whereabouts of the second man remain unknown. Bloomberg reports that both had been promised Russian citizenship and the opportunity to pursue education following their military service.
This is not the only instance of South African nationals being recruited to serve in Russia’s war. In a previous investigation published on November 19, 2025, Bloomberg revealed that Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former South African president Jacob Zuma and a sitting member of parliament, recruited around 20 young men for similar purposes.
Sources told Bloomberg that she assured the recruits they would undergo security training and later work for her father’s political group, uMkhonto weSizwe. She also claimed to have completed the same training herself.
Bloomberg noted Zuma-Sambudla’s prior involvement in Russian information campaigns on social media, including public statements supporting Russian leader Vladimir Putin and photos from her visits to Russia.
In response, South African authorities launched criminal proceedings against individuals accused of illegal recruitment. In late November 2025, one state radio employee and four men were arrested and charged. South Africa has prohibited its citizens from participating in foreign wars since 1998. A court hearing in the case is scheduled for February 10.
Bloomberg added that similar recruitment efforts have been observed in Kenya, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. However, using Discord and online gaming platforms to reach foreign fighters appears to be unique to the South African case.
Earlier, Russia used BRICS-linked programs to recruit women from Africa and Asia to assemble drones for use in Ukraine, often under false job promises, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
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