Promised work, thrown into combat: Ukrainian troops capture foreign mercenary
Illustrative photo: prisoner of war (Getty Images)
Promised a job, given a rifle
The story of the captured Colombian is typical of foreigners recruited by Russia for the war. According to the detainee, he was promised "legal employment" and high earnings in Russia. However, instead of civilian work, the man was immediately sent to the front line to assault the positions of Ukrainian troops.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have captured a mercenary from Colombia who was lured into the war through deception pic.twitter.com/TBq1iKb7CA
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) February 21, 2026
How Russia manipulates foreigners:
- financial traps: large upfront payments that are impossible to earn in Latin America;
- lies about conditions: concealing the real death toll during assaults;
- legal blackmail: manipulation of migration documents.
Kremlin's expendable resource
The 152nd Brigade notes that the Kremlin systematically uses citizens of third countries as "cannon fodder." The foreigner found himself at war against Ukraine, a country with which he had no conflicts, becoming a victim of Russian propaganda.
"The promises turned out to be a trap. People are used as a resource, as expendable material," the Ukrainian jaegers emphasize.
Latin American trace in Russia's war
It should be noted that this is not the first case of citizens of Colombia, Cuba, or Nepal being captured while serving in the ranks of the Russian army. Amid a shortage of its own mobilization resources, Moscow is increasingly seeking mercenaries in poorer countries, where language barriers and a lack of information make it easier to conceal the truth about the war.
Recently, it became known that Russia had recruited more than a thousand citizens of Kenya to participate in the war against Ukraine. To do so, it used schemes involving travel on tourist visas and promises of high salaries.
In Donetsk region, a foreign mercenary from the Philippines who had been fighting on the side of the Russian occupation forces was eliminated.
