Nine Zimbabwean citizens were arrested on suspicion of trying to leave South Africa to participate in the hostilities in Ukraine. BBC. Nine people aged 20 to 26 were arrested on Sunday evening in and around Johannesburg by a multi-agency task force. Police said the youths were arrested because they were "preparing to board flights out of the country," but their final destination is still unknown. The detainees are accused of violating South Africa's Foreign Military Assistance Regulation Act, which prohibits mercenary activities without government approval. The police statement stated that the participation of Interpol and other international law enforcement agencies indicates that the suspects allegedly violated the laws of their countries, and this was the reason for the cooperation with the authorities in South Africa. The police did not specify on which side - Russia or Ukraine - the detainees planned to fight, and did not provide details about the organizations that facilitated their travel.