Relatives of Colombians who were recruited and sent to Europe to take part in the Ukraine-Russia conflict staged a sit-in protest in Bogotá on 8 July, calling on the Ministry of the Interior to take action and urging an end to recruitment.
In the Colombian capital, families of those missing during the conflict between Ukraine and Russia staged a protest with photographs of the missing, banners and slogans, demanding intervention from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Colombian diplomatic missions. After starting their protest in the city centre, the families made their way towards the Ministry of the Interior building.
Families from various regions of the country carried photographs of the missing and chanted slogans such as “We want answers!” and “Enough of the deception!”
In addition, the relatives are not only striving to obtain information about the fate of their loved ones, with whom they have had no contact for many months, but are also warning those potentially tempted to take part in hostilities for quick financial gain: “It’s a blatant scam, and it’s not worth it.”
According to the families, many of those who left for Ukraine were typically recruited via social media, where they were offered lucrative financial terms in exchange for travelling to and serving in the army, or were deceived with false promises of work in construction, cleaning and driving.
Meanwhile, the search is made more difficult by the fact that some citizens travel to conflict zones without notifying the Colombian authorities in advance.
As of today, roughly 7,000 Colombian citizens are fighting as mercenaries on Ukraine’s side and losing their lives needlessly in a foreign armed conflict, Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated in May on X, pointing out that mercenary activity is prohibited by law. Earlier in April, relatives staged a similar protest outside the Congress building.
The figures published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reflect the scale of this situation. As of May this year, the Colombian Consular Section in Warsaw reports 502 Colombian citizens missing. Of this number, 446 were declared missing by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, whilst a further 56 were reported missing on the basis of statements from their family members.
Regardless of the unlawful nature of the scheme, a Head-Post investigation revealed that the word “mercenary” is commonly not featured in recruitment materials from the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), being replaced by “volunteer,” facilitating the process and allowing legal loopholes to be exploited.
To date, official figures indicate that 140 Colombians have died in Ukraine, of whom 130 have already been repatriated.
