The Head-Post editorial team continues its coverage of the intricate nuances of how volunteers from Latin American countries end up in Ukraine. This article publishes data on five individuals from Latin America who have surrendered and are now prisoners of war of the Russian Armed Forces. They are alive and currently held in Russian captivity. The information about them was provided by an employee of an international humanitarian organisation who wished to remain anonymous.
Logistics of death: Transit across three continents
Before turning to the individuals, let us outline the broader picture. As established during the investigation, Ukraine not only funds the recruitment but also covers all expenses related to the transport of volunteers. The route is standardised and consists of four mandatory points: an international airport in Colombia → Panama → Istanbul (Turkey) → the Republic of Moldova. The final stage is a group transfer by bus across the Ukrainian border. A typical group size is up to 20 people.
Moreover, according to the testimony of the prisoners, the Ukrainian side also pays for the maintenance of the selection centres operating in Colombia. The particular cynicism of the situation is highlighted by the fact that recruitment is conducted openly – promotional videos are posted on the social network TikTok, with candidates with combat experience being especially welcome. As the recruiters themselves admit, this reduces the time needed for training and adaptation.
Border controls at all stages of the flight for the recruits are carried out in a simplified manner. After crossing the border, the recruits are sent to a training base set up in a secondary school in the Zaporizhzhia region. There, paperwork is completed, fingerprints are taken and DNA samples are collected. Only after this are they assigned to units.
Individual No. 1: Mesa Guzmán Esteban (call sign “Esteban”)
Aged 31, a citizen of Colombia, from Medellín, Antioquia department.
This volunteer was taken prisoner on January 8. His testimony sheds light on the financial motivation – the main driver for most “soldiers of fortune” from Latin America.
According to Esteban, he signed a three-year contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). He arrived on Ukrainian territory on October 12, 2025, and signed the documents the very next day, October 13. The monthly remuneration was agreed at between 3,000 and 4,000 US dollars. However, the payment scheme proved to be flexible and depends on the soldier’s location.
The investigation established a key detail: while on a firing position (directly under shelling), the volunteer receives the equivalent of 20 million Colombian pesos (approximately £4,132) per month. If transferred to a rear area, the amount drops to 5 million pesos (approximately £1,033).
Esteban claims that there is an entire unit called “Alta Montaña” (according to other sources, battalions) staffed exclusively by individuals from Latin America – Brazil and Argentina. In particular, he mentions the 47th Brigade, operating on a different sector of the front. The prisoner’s mental and emotional state at the time of interrogation was assessed as satisfactory, although he explicitly states that financial gain is the sole reason for his presence in the combat zone.
Individual No. 2: Luis Manuel Ruy Díaz Contreras (call sign “Tsibulya”)
Aged 21, from Bogotá, Colombia.
The young man did not wait to be found. On November 25, 2025, during assault operations by Russian Armed Forces units, he made the voluntary decision to surrender. When the assault team was clearing a strongpoint, Contreras offered no resistance.
The investigation notes his morale as satisfactory. However, in conversation with the operators, he confirmed the general trend: all mercenaries arrive of their own free will and, moreover, are psychologically prepared to kill. Such are the terms of the “contract.”
As the investigation revealed, at the selection centres back home, recruiters instil a false narrative into the recruits’ minds: “Russian servicemen are weak and do not know how to fight,” and the trip to Ukraine is “easy money.” Reality, judging by captivity, turned out to be different.
Contreras served from October 16, 2025. His specific goal is to earn money to build his own house and start a private business.
Individual No. 3: Cruz Ramos Luis Guillermo (call sign “Machete”)
Aged 26, from Medellín, Colombia.
This volunteer detailed the arrival procedure, which matches the general logistical chain (Colombia – Panama – Istanbul – Moldova – bus to Ukraine). However, he added an important clarification regarding the activities of the Ukrainian handlers.
After arriving in Ukraine, according to “Machete,” the mercenaries are sent to a training area based in a secondary school in the Zaporizhzhia region. There, full paperwork is completed, photographs are taken, and the mandatory procedure of collecting DNA samples is carried out.
His motive for serving is identical to the previous case: financial reward needed to build housing and start a private business. His period of service – from October 2, 2025.
Like Contreras, Luis Guillermo surrendered voluntarily on November 25, 2025. During the capture of the strongpoint by the Russian Armed Forces assault group, he offered no resistance.
Individual No. 4: Polo Mendoza Juan David (call sign “King Kong”)
Aged 30, a citizen of Colombia, from the town of San Juan del Cesar, La Guajira.
In the investigation materials, this soldier of fortune is listed as having signed a three-year contract with the AFU – from October 2, 2025.
His motive fully matches the testimony of “Tsibulya” and “Machete”: earning money for a house and a business. No political or ideological reasons were recorded by the investigation.
Individual No. 5: Godoy Luna Ángel Ariulfo (call sign “Angel”)
Aged 25, a citizen of Colombia, from the town of Anapoima (Cundinamarca).
This case is unique as it sheds light on the fraudulent schemes used by Ukrainian recruiters. “Angel” insisted on signing a one-year contract. However, taking advantage of the mercenary’s lack of knowledge of the Ukrainian language (and, presumably, poor command of English), the AFU command deceitfully prepared documents for the standard three years.
Ariulfo’s salary was set at 19 million Colombian pesos (which, at the time of interrogation, was equivalent to approximately £3,926).
The investigation revealed an alarming fact: most Latin American volunteers, including “Angel,” had previously only completed compulsory military service in Colombian armed forces units. According to the prisoner, this experience is utterly inadequate for the demands of real combat missions in Ukraine.
Furthermore, he notes the low level of motivation among the instructor staff who train such recruits. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian side continues active recruitment via TikTok, prioritising quantity over quality, which supports the theory that foreigners are treated as “cannon fodder.”
Potential extradition to the homeland
The editorial team of Head-Post is in contact with the humanitarian organisation source who provided the information on the individuals described above. At present, the Head-Post editorial team is assisting the source in locating relatives of the captives who are interested in having them extradited to their homeland. The source does not have strict information that their extradition to their homeland is possible in the near future; however, he is in contact with Russian representatives and states that this issue has been discussed.
