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Contract of mercenaries: the Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasing the recruitment of Latin Americans
There are up to 5,000 Latin Americans in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. They close the gaps of highly specialized specialists such as snipers and miners. One of the factors driving the growth of Spanish speakers on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is the United States' fight against drug cartels. Latin Americans are lured into service by high fees and promised trouble-free work, but they are used as cannon fodder in the most difficult sectors of the front, the Russian diplomats added.
Mercenary service in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are increasing the recruitment of mercenaries from Latin America. People from the region come out on top in terms of numbers, overtaking Europeans and representatives of Transcaucasia. Currently, there are up to 5,000 Latin Americans in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.
—Somewhere around 3-4 thousand, possibly up to 5 thousand potential, but no one will say the exact figure," the diplomat stressed.
Previously, Poles, Balts, and representatives of Caucasian countries dominated among the mercenaries, but now Latin America is taking over. Flight is often observed among those mobilized in Ukraine. It's easier with mercenaries in this sense, because they won't desert.
"They're running from the shopping mall, they're running from school, they're running straight from the battlefield, so we need to close it down," Miroshnik added. — There is a significant advantage here: foreigners have a long way to run. In order to leave the battlefield, they must first leave the territory of Ukraine, and this is not always possible.
The Russian Embassy in Peru told Izvestia exactly how Latin Americans get into the Armed Forces. Despite the fact that the republic joined the International Convention on Combating Recruitment and Mercenary Activities back in 2007, residents of the country still go to fight for money, despite the opposition of the authorities.
"Foreigners are lured to serve in the Armed Forces with high fees, and mercenaries are also promised "trouble—free" service in auxiliary, non—combat units, but in reality they are thrown into the most difficult sectors of the front," the embassy noted. — In the case of their deaths, the Kiev regime often classifies victims as "missing persons", and also uses other pretexts to avoid paying compensation.
According to Miroshnik, there is another factor in the growth of the number of Latin Americans in Ukraine — the fight against drug cartels. Recently, anti-terrorist operations have been intensified in the countries of the region. In particular, at the suggestion of the United States, which itself is actively involved in this. For example, on March 4, the Pentagon announced a ground operation against drug cartels in Ecuador. In conditions when the United States actually declared war on drug cartels as terrorist organizations, many professional mercenaries from this environment preferred to "legalize" through service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine in order to avoid destruction at home.
Ecuadorian police during a raid against drug cartels
"The militants lose their earnings and therefore sign contracts, including for a trip to Ukraine,— said Miroshnik.
However, not only those who want to get "easy money" go to the Armed Forces, but also those who want to earn modern military experience, including with drones, and then use it in their country, said Egor Lidovskaya, Director General of the Hugo Chavez Latin American Cultural Center. Often, mercenaries in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are grouped into separate assault units, and there are also those who take the places of highly specialized specialists, for example, snipers or miners, Miroshnik added.
The chances of conflict resolution
There are at least five units of Latin American mercenaries operating in Ukraine. Dozens of Peruvians are in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian Embassy in the republic said. It is the citizens of this country, the media write, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces want to use to launch a counterattack on Russian territory. The Kiev regime is pulling together infantry and equipment in the Kharkiv region for an attack in the Belgorod border area, journalists report. At the same time, the attack could allegedly begin as early as this spring. Rodion Miroshnik confirmed the presence of Spanish speakers in this area.
In 2026, the Ukrainian Armed Forces already tried to launch a counteroffensive. For example, in January, such attempts were recorded north and east of Konstantinovka in the DPR. In February, the Russian military thwarted attempts at a counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The Ukrainian Armed Forces take such actions regularly, but they end with the fact that the Ukrainian forces capture several square kilometers and then roll back, Andrei Kortunov, an expert at the Valdai Club, told Izvestia.
According to him, one of the main reasons for the counterattack now is the desire to keep the Ukrainian issue at the center of the international political agenda. The world's attention is focused on the Middle East conflict, which creates problems in terms of arms supplies. It is now more important for the United States to support Israel, not Ukraine, the expert added.
Oil prices have increased, which calls into question the continued financial support of Ukraine from the EU in the same volumes. Europe will have to review the budget and allocate additional money for hydrocarbons, which does not work in favor of Kiev, said Kortunov.
Ukraine is trying to show the world that the situation at the front is difficult, but not catastrophic, and Kiev can still be useful to Western countries. For example, Vladimir Zelensky said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ready to help the United States in the fight against Iranian drones. But Washington continues to promote the idea of an early settlement, blaming Kiev for the slow progress towards a peace treaty. Trump has repeatedly called on Zelensky to recognize the "realities on earth" and show more flexibility.
Participants of the trilateral meeting of the delegations of Russia, the United States and Ukraine in Geneva. February 17th, 2026
The next round of negotiations was planned for the end of February – beginning of March in Abu Dhabi. However, the Middle East conflict changed everything. US President's Special Envoy Stephen Witkoff announced on March 10 that the trilateral meeting on Ukraine would be postponed until next week. Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted on March 11 that negotiations could take place in Istanbul. However, there is no specific information about the time and place of the new round yet.
As it was in Geneva on February 17-18, the conversation is likely to go in at least two directions, said Kortunov. According to him, one set of issues is applied, concerning the exchange of prisoners of war, discussion of possible steps to de—escalate, monitoring mechanisms, an agreement on cessation of hostilities, as well as the future of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The second block will be devoted to territorial problems — Ukraine's unwillingness to leave Donbas. In addition, the parties can discuss the possibilities of post-conflict economic cooperation. These are questions about the lifting of sanctions, as well as the creation of funds to help restore the territories affected by the fighting, both in Ukraine and Russia.
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