Russia announces arrest of two Colombians suspected of fighting as “mercenaries” on Ukraine’s side

Aug. 30 () –

Russian authorities announced on Friday the arrest of two Colombian citizens suspected of fighting as “mercenaries” on the side of Ukrainian forces in the context of the invasion of the country, launched in February 2022 by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) said in a statement posted on its website that the detainees are “suspected of participating in military actions as mercenaries on the side of Ukraine against the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

He also stressed that “during the searches, documents confirming their illegal activities and Ukrainian-style military uniforms with insignia of the Sich Battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were found.”

“The FSB Investigation Department (…) is investigating criminal cases against those accused of crimes under paragraph 3 of Article 359 of the Russian Criminal Code,” he said. The paragraph provides for sentences of up to seven years in prison for “participation as a mercenary in an armed conflict or hostilities.”

Colombian authorities have not yet commented on the reports. Bogota said in February that the possible presence of Colombian mercenaries in Ukraine was due to “personal decisions” after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raised the issue.

“The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to clarify that, with regard to Colombian citizens who have been victims of the war in Ukraine, their presence there is due to personal decisions and that there are no bilateral agreements under which such a connection is possible,” the ministry said.

The statement was issued following reports of the deaths of several Colombians who had traveled to Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of kyiv, including two former soldiers identified as Jhonatan Chimbaco Chimbaco and Jairo Bahamón Sánchez.