South Africa’s president on Tuesday expressed “heartfelt gratitude” to his Russian counterpart for the return of men who were lured into fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.Pretoria in November said it had received “distress calls” from 17 men who were trapped in the epicenter of the fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas region after being tricked into joining mercenary forces.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.Four of the men landed back home last week and 11 were expected to return soon, according to the presidency, while two remained in Russia.“President Ramaphosa has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President Vladimir Putin who responded positively to his call to support the process of returning the men home,” the presidency said in a statement.“The investigation into the circumstances that led to the recruitment of these young men into mercenary activities is ongoing,” it said.South African law prohibits its citizens from