DistantNews
Three Peruvians return home after being allegedly taken to war in Russia with fake job offers
🇵🇪 Peru /Conflict & Security

Three Peruvians return home after being allegedly taken to war in Russia with fake job offers

From La República · (15m ago) Spanish Critical tone

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Three Peruvians who were allegedly recruited with false job offers to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war have returned to Peru.
  • Their families had reported their recruitment and urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to facilitate their repatriation.
  • This brings the total number of Peruvian citizens repatriated from Russia to six, but families of over 600 others still await their return.

Three Peruvian citizens have returned to Lima after allegedly being lured to fight in the Russia-Ukraine war under false pretenses of employment. Their safe return on May 4th was facilitated after their families alerted Peruvian authorities, specifically the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to their predicament and demanded action for their repatriation. The individuals arrived at Jorge Chávez International Airport and were immediately transferred to a hospital for medical evaluations before being reunited with their families under security protocols.

Tras huir, se dirigieron a la Embajada del Perú en Rusia, donde permanecieron hasta que se aprobó el salvoconducto que autorizó su salida de ese país y se gestionó la compra de los boletos de avión.

— Percy SalinasDescribing the process the three Peruvians followed after escaping their alleged forced conscription.

According to their lawyer, Percy Salinas, these three Peruvians managed to escape while being transferred to the front lines. They sought refuge at the Peruvian Embassy in Russia, where they remained until exit visas, known as salvoconductos, were approved, allowing their departure from Russia. Their journey back involved flights from Istanbul to Amsterdam, and finally to Lima. Salinas noted that while six Peruvians have now returned, the initial announcement suggested six would return on this date, raising concerns for families still awaiting news of their loved ones.

Empiecen las negociaciones para repatriarlos. Hay más de 600 peruanos allá. ¿Qué van a esperar, la tramitología que siga? No es justo.

— Percy SalinasAppealing to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accelerate repatriation efforts for the large number of Peruvians still in Russia.

Salinas strongly urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expedite negotiations for the repatriation of the estimated 600-plus Peruvians who remain in Russia, allegedly forced into military service without social benefits. He highlighted the urgency, particularly with Mother's Day approaching, emphasizing the emotional toll on families waiting for their relatives' return. This situation underscores a critical consular issue, with families in Peru expressing deep concern and demanding swifter government action to bring all Peruvian citizens back home safely.

Este domingo se va a celebrar el Día de la Madre, pero las mamás que están acá (en el aeropuerto) no lo van a poder hacer. El canciller sí.

— Percy SalinasHighlighting the emotional distress of the families waiting for their relatives' return, especially with Mother's Day approaching.
DistantNews Editorial

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

More Stories

From Our Blog