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Indonesia’s BIN Investigates Report of Eight Citizens Serving as Russian Mercenaries
🇮🇩 Indonesia /Conflict & Security

Indonesia’s BIN Investigates Report of Eight Citizens Serving as Russian Mercenaries

From CNN Indonesia · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency is investigating a Ukrainian report that eight Indonesian citizens may have become Russian mercenaries.
  • The Foreign Ministry said it is verifying the information through Indonesian representatives and coordinating with relevant agencies.
  • A senior lawmaker said the citizens may have been recruited through misleading job offers for security or administrative work and then sent to Russia.

Indonesia’s State Intelligence Agency is looking into a Ukrainian report that eight Indonesian citizens may have been recruited to fight for Russia, officials said.

We will look into it further.

— Muhammad HerindraIndonesia’s intelligence chief said officials were still examining the report.

BIN chief Muhammad Herindra said the agency was giving attention to the information and would examine it further. “We will look into it further,” Herindra told reporters at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta.

The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service reported on Aug. 27 that eight people believed to be Indonesian citizens had become Russian mercenaries. Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry said it was verifying the report through its representatives abroad and coordinating with related ministries and agencies.

The Indonesian government is currently verifying the information through Indonesian representatives and coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies.

— Yvonne MewengkangThe Foreign Ministry described its response to the Ukrainian report.

The ministry also pointed to Indonesia’s legal rules on citizens serving in the armed forces of foreign countries, including possible consequences for their citizenship status. It said those rules could be applied only after the information and supporting data had been verified through legal procedures. If the allegations are confirmed, the ministry said, the involvement would be an individual act and would not represent the Indonesian government’s policy or position.

If the involvement of Indonesian citizens in a foreign country's armed forces is verified, it would be an individual act and would not represent the policy or position of the Indonesian government.

— Yvonne MewengkangThe ministry explained how Indonesia would characterize any confirmed involvement.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said intelligence authorities had told lawmakers that a third country recruited the Indonesians. They were allegedly offered jobs as security guards or administrative workers, with promises of high pay. “These Indonesian citizens then registered, and were ultimately sent to become soldiers,” Dasco said. He added that intelligence authorities and the Foreign Ministry were taking preventive measures and coordinating over the case.

These Indonesian citizens then registered, and were ultimately sent to become soldiers.

— Sufmi Dasco AhmadThe deputy parliamentary speaker described the alleged recruitment process.
About this summary

Originally published by CNN Indonesia in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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