Russia tricked hundreds of Peruvians into fighting against Ukraine - CNN
Recruitment for the Russian army abroad continues (Photo: Getty Images)
Hundreds of Peruvian citizens have ended up on the front lines in Ukraine after being lured into the Russian army by false promises of safe, high-paying work, according to CNN.
Fake contracts and "cannon fodder"
Russian recruiters are actively seeking mercenaries among Peru's poor populations, using social media. Men are offered jobs as guards or cooks in the rear, with promises of a $20,000 bonus for signing a contract, a monthly salary of up to $4,000, and the prospect of obtaining Russian citizenship.
However, after arriving in Russia, the situation changes dramatically. According to testimonies from relatives and the recruits themselves, their phones are taken away and they are forced to sign Russian-language military contracts without the right to translation.
After minimal training, the men are sent to the front lines in Ukraine. Instead of the promised money, Peruvians face food shortages, lack of medicines, brutal punishment from Russian command, and constant attacks by Ukrainian drones. As relatives note, their men are being used simply as cannon fodder.
Government response and investigation
Peru's Prosecutor's Office has already launched an investigation into human trafficking. To date, more than three dozen complaints have been officially recorded from families whose loved ones were fraudulently taken out of the country for forced participation in the armed conflict.
According to lawyers representing the families, at least 800 Peruvian citizens may currently be fighting in the ranks of the Russian army.
Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent nearly 250 official requests to Moscow demanding information about their citizens and their immediate return.
However, the ministry acknowledges that their capabilities are extremely limited, since the Peruvians voluntarily signed contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, and it is practically impossible to extract them directly from the combat zone.
The Kremlin's large-scale campaign to recruit foreigners is linked to an acute crisis in manning its own army. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), in just the past year, the number of Russians willing to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense and go to war against Ukraine has dropped by 20%, and the downward trend in recruitment has been ongoing for several years.
Due to a shortage of domestic human resources, Russia has already recruited over 42,000 foreigners, using deception, financial manipulation, and traps involving fake employment offers.
According to Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, citizens from nearly 50 countries around the world have ended up in the ranks of the Russian forces, hundreds of whom have already been taken prisoner by Ukraine, and one in five of the total number of recruited foreign mercenaries has already been eliminated on the front lines.
