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Prisoners and scammed: The plight of hundreds of Peruvians recruited by Russia for war
🇧🇴 Bolivia /Crime & Justice

Prisoners and scammed: The plight of hundreds of Peruvians recruited by Russia for war

From El Deber · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Hundreds of Peruvians, often from low-income backgrounds, have been recruited by Russia with false promises of work as security guards.
  • Instead, they were sent to the front lines of the war against Ukraine, had their phones confiscated, and received minimal food.
  • Families have reported their loved ones missing and accuse recruiters of human trafficking, but investigations in Peru are reportedly stalled.

A. has not heard from her father since May 23. The 60-year-old Peruvian left Lima in March, lured by promises of a security guard job in Russia that would allow him to save money before retirement. His family says he was recruited by a Peruvian man who had previously worked in security during the Iraq War.

My father (60 years old) traveled to Russia on March 19 with job offers that he would work as a security guard. They told him he would do work in quiet areas, guarding towers, military bases, but when he arrived there the situation was very different.

— A.A. describes the initial promises made to her father before his departure to Russia.

Upon arrival in Russia, he was reportedly made to sign a contract in Russian without translation. His promised months of training were cut to two weeks before he was sent to the front lines near Ukraine. "When my father realized the situation, everyone felt completely scammed," A. told EFE, speaking from Lima. "They held them like prisoners because they took their cell phones, and the food was very little and bad."

His last message was a photo of himself with fellow soldiers, all from India. Since then, his family has had no contact, unsure if he is dead, captured by Ukraine, or injured. A. is one of over 500 family members who have reported similar cases to the Peruvian National Police. The case was passed to the prosecutor's office as suspected human trafficking, but families claim the investigation is not progressing while new Peruvians continue to be recruited.

When my father realized the situation, everyone felt completely scammed, they held them like prisoners because they took their cell phones and the food was very little and bad.

— A.A. recounts the harsh conditions her father and other recruits faced in Russia.

Lawyers for the families argue that these contracts violate labor rights and constitute human trafficking, especially if the recruited individuals die. Despite pleas to the Russian Embassy and Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, information has been scarce. The ministry finally issued a statement on August 9, but details remain unclear.

These contracts do not respect national and international labor rights and the violation of these fits the crime of human trafficking because the person is degraded, their human rights are not respected. And the crime of human trafficking is aggravated when the person dies in the development of this activity.

— Percy SalinasOne of the families' lawyers explains the legal implications of the recruitment practices.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Deber in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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