The Amnesty International report “Russia: Trafficking of foreign citizens to fight in Ukraine” details the operation of a global recruitment system through which Moscow has recruited more than 28,000 foreigners, most of them Latin Americans.
The NGO accuses Russia of coercing and exploiting, above all, Latin American citizens in the war in Ukraine: Colombians, Cubans, Peruvians or Brazilians deceived and recruited with dubious methods to end up fighting on the Russian front. Many of the victims are deceived by fraudulent advertisements on social networks that offer false high-paying jobs.
They denounce that Moscow is committing a crime of “human trafficking”
Ana Wright, regional researcher at Amnesty International, warns that the Kremlin has recruitment networks dedicated to human trafficking. He explains that this “was the case of a South African truck driver who applied for a job in Poland online and was told yes, he would have to travel to Moscow, pick up a truck there and drive to Poland. Basically, he was met at the airport by recruiters and was not given the opportunity to escape.”
Patterns that repeat over and over again
The researcher assures that it is exactly the same thing that happened to a Brazilian. “He was promised a very well-paid job in Russia, but when he arrived he discovered that – in reality – he had signed a contract with the Russian armed forces, since contracts are written in their language. And most are not given the opportunity to translate the document.”
Among the prisoners of war who are detained in western Ukraine – there are not only Latin Americans and North Koreans – but also citizens of Egypt, Somalia, Sierra Leone or Sri Lanka.
