Indonesian man in Russian army supports three orphans and hopes to marry after returning home

Wahyu Oktavian Iskandar, better known as Yayan, has attracted public attention as an Indonesian serving in the Russian military. Back in Depok, however, residents remember another part of his story: his effort to support three orphaned children.

Yayan is among Indonesians identified as Russian soldiers in data from Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service. The agency said Indonesians were recruited with promises of high military salaries. Yayan’s Russian visa was valid from April 14 to Aug. 11, 2026, according to the same report.

Sugeng, head of the local neighborhood association in Rangkapan Jaya Baru, knew Yayan from his younger years, when fights and drugs were not unusual. The two later became close, almost like father and adopted son, particularly after Yayan’s parents died. Sugeng said Yayan had resolved to leave that life behind and chose to join the Russian military, although Yayan never explained where he found the recruitment information.

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He wanted to change. He enlisted as a soldier, not as a security guard, he told me. But I don’t know where he got the recruitment information.

“He wanted to change. He enlisted as a soldier, not as a security guard, he told me. But I don’t know where he got the recruitment information,” Sugeng told Republika on Wednesday.

Sugeng said Yayan began sending money to support three orphaned children after joining the Russian military. “He supports three orphaned children and has been sending money since he became a Russian soldier,” he said. The two continued communicating through WhatsApp and occasionally by video call. Sugeng said Yayan appeared to be safe abroad and had told him that his duties involved explosives, though they had recently lost contact.

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He supports three orphaned children and has been sending money since he became a Russian soldier.