Eleven Peruvians killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine, more than 100 missing – Peru’s government
Peru’s government has stated that 11 Peruvian citizens have died fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine, the BBC World Service reported.
Peruvians protesting outside the Russian embassy and the Peruvian Foreign Affairs Ministry in Lima, demanding answers about their missing relativesIt’s added that more than 100 others are missing, and three have been captured by the Ukrainian army. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said in total more than 450 Peruvians had joined Russia’s military.
It also announced the repatriation of four Peruvians who, it said, were in a vulnerable situation in Russia, having escaped from what it described as forced recruitment.
The ministry warned citizens that the Russian Federation is actively recruiting foreigners to fight in Ukraine, urging them to avoid deceptive overseas job scams. Officials also noted that Peruvian nationals are legally barred from serving in any foreign military without explicit government authorisation.
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The Foreign Affairs Ministry called on citizens to report suspected recruiters directly to the Prosecutor General’s Office and the National Police.
The directive follows a 1 May announcement that Peru’s prosecutor’s office had launched a human trafficking investigation into reports of citizens being lured to Russia under false pretences and subsequently deployed to the front lines in Ukraine.
To entice foreigners to join the Russian military, occupation recruiters frequently publish posts in social media touting Russian victories in Ukraine while suppressing information about defeats. Despite the inherent risks, interest among foreign nationals in such offers remains relatively high.
Earlier, BBC World Service released a documentary titled ‘Into the Void: Putin’s Foreign Fighters’, which is driven by the personal stories of several foreign fighters. It opens with a secret call from one of them, ‘Habib’, a Syrian soldier on the front line, who reveals the inner workings of the recruitment process and the grim reality faced by foreign soldiers.
The investigation then delves into the story of Omar, a Syrian construction worker, who, like many others, was tricked. Promised a non-combat role, Omar finds himself thrust into the brutal frontlines.
The film expands its scope to Yemen, another country, becoming a fertile recruiting ground. Here, we meet Ali Al-Sabbahi, a Yemeni human rights lawyer, who is desperately trying to help the families of young men who have disappeared after traveling to Russia. The investigation follows the harrowing journey of two Yemeni men, Khalil and Hussein, who are eventually found in a Ukrainian prisoner-of-war facility. Their emotional interviews reveal the false promises that led them to war and the subsequent abandonment they face from both Russia and their home country.
