The group, which includes a 39-year-old woman believed to be central to the operation, faces charges under the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act. This law bans South Africans from offering or accepting military aid abroad without official permission.

Authorities allege the woman made multiple trips to Russia starting in September 2025, along with visits to other nations, before her arrest in December. Four of the suspects were detained at a major international airport while reportedly heading to Russia, with the fifth apprehended at his residence.

Prosecutors claim the recruits were unemployed young men drawn into the scheme. Bail was set at varying amounts, ranging from 5,000 to 30,000 rand, with conditions including passport surrender and a ban on leaving the country.

The investigation continues, with the court appearance focused on advancing the proceedings. This incident highlights the risks of unauthorized involvement in international conflicts and the strict enforcement of national regulations designed to prevent such activities.

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Different levels of dependence on its energy mix leave  many EU and non-EU nations nervous. 

This is a delicate balance, especially with the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. 

Or so it seems, but with the EU and the cluster of NATO countries, calling Putin’s bluff will sooner or later be the case.

Else, the Russian President would ride roughshod on the entire continent. 

While this is not exactly so, many countries are now jittery of what Putin will do to those who he considers hostile. 

Germany, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Netherlands and Italy are neck-deep in consuming Russia’s oil. Others include Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden among others. 

This dependence of EU countries on Russia’s Oil and Gas, condensate and fuel oils continue to make them more vulnerable in light of the present military situation in Ukraine. 

Gas prices in the Q1 of 2021 hit above $30 US dollars/ MMbtu due to low storage levels in Europe.

The price came down to $27 per MMBtu in the middle of first quarter 2022. However, the panic in many European countries as a result of the Russian invasion drove prices up. Volatility remains the characteristic of the market while the conflict and Putin’s grandstanding last. 

Sanctions against Putin’s Russia by the West and other countries will play a great role in determining what supply and price is available.

Russian exports to EU-28

In spite of the Covid-19  pandemic, trade between Russia and the Euro-28 continues to be active. About $67 billion worth of mineral fuel and fuel oil were exported to its European trading Partners. 

The Netherlands purchased about $42 billion worth of goods from Russia.

 For Germany, consumption of Russia’s natural gas placed it as the leading consumer in the EU. Aside from the Nord stream network of gas pipelines to Germany and other EU Nations, there was a serious plan to have Russia’s Gazprom build Nord 2 stream.

This is aimed at increased gas consumption and distribution.

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Like the Russians planned, a multi-pronged attack on Ukraine, took on Kyiv as being the climax – then he will wind down the invasion. Or so Putin thought. It was not to be.

Falling short of plucking his target, Kyiv, Putin must have felt unfulfilled. For him, the retreat of his army became inevitable. But the men in military fatigues thought otherwise. 

The realization that the movement was a minus to them for the size of their army and the sophistication of their arsenal threw up something unpleasant.

The idea of butchering defenseless Ukrainian citizens at Bucha was born. That suburb of Kyiv had its ecores of its residents – old and young –  paying for the wounded ego of retreating Russian soldiers with their lives. War crime was born.

Several visiting top diplomats and heads of government, who came to pay a courtesy call on President Zelensky were taken to see the mass grave where they were dumped.

 This was recorded late in March, a few weeks after the military bullying against Ukraine set in motion.

It would have been another kettle of fish if the victims were  only soldiers – that is what war brings; combatants engage themselves and casualties follow as a result.

Bucha, a city near Kyiv, recorded several hundreds of civilians including children shot at, killed and others wounded.

Overall, of about 7,000 civilian casualties, 3400 were killed and 2600 injured. This is according to UN’s Matilda Bognor in a statement. 

Ms Bognor is the head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine. Of all these figures, the United Nations agree that there’s a very significant number expected from places like Mariupol. 

It is being estimated that thousands more will be added to the death toll so far. 

 Of great concern, too, will be the additional numbers from several other fronts of fierce military engagements.

It is known that an estimated more than 2,000 Ukrainian military defenders were tied down at the sprawling steel mill town of Azovstal. 

The Russians are not letting any part go without being pounded to force a complete annihilation.

It goes without saying that Putin’s men will go for an overkill if only to score a point of total face-saving victory. 

This is against the backdrop of its experience in Kyiv. 

It will be recalled that several civilian residential areas in various cities were mauled by the Russians. There were human casualties which have not been accurately accounted for. 

At Izium, in the Kharkiv region, a five-story building collapsed as a result of Russian bombardment and dozens of civilian deaths unaccounted. 

The story is the same around Ukraine where the Russians engage in battle without recourse to Conventions of War.

The battle of Odessa 

In an all out siege to take over the important port city of Odessa, the Russians are said to deploy heavy military weapons. 

It is reported that their Black Sea naval base is dotted with several naval carriers. 

Alongside the use of other weapons, hypersonic missiles known as Kinzhal (Dagger) have been implicated. 

This is on one side of the divide. 

On the other hand Ukraine military have received considerable weapons from the US and the west including NATO countries. These include long-range M777 field howitzers and hundreds of thousands of ammo. 

Whatever the game plan, it remains clear that there will be untold human (military and civilian) casualties to bear the brunt of these intense military engagements. 

But life is too sacred to be wasted on the altar of human ego and the testing ground of bizarre military contraptions built by military ‘who is who’ around the world.

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