The Russian Embassy in Colombia on August 5 (local time) issued a statement refuting a report that the country has links to networks suspected of recruiting Colombian mercenaries to support the conflict in Ukraine, AFP reported.
Previously, Colombian news agency Noticias Caracol on August 3 announced an investigation with testimonies and documents suggesting that Moscow recruited Colombians as part of a strategy against Ukraine. The Russian diplomatic mission in Colombia denied the news, saying they "had no relationship with the recruiters mentioned in the news, nor had any idea of how they funded their operations".
For his part, Colombian President Gustavo Petro affirmed that at least 7,000 Colombians are fighting in Russia and Ukraine for money. In March, the United Nations estimated that at least 10,000 Colombians had been recruited abroad to participate in armed conflicts around the world.
Colombian soldiers often have difficulty finding jobs after leaving the military, which are trained to fight in conflicts caused by guerrilla groups and drug gangs. Mercenary soldiers are often hunted by countries mired in conflict, such as Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
