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There had been reports that dozens of Latin American fighters, mostly from Colombia and Mexico, were joining an international brigade fighting for Kyiv to repulse Moscow’s full-scale military action since February 2022.
Several social media accounts, based in Poland and France, have been luring young men in Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia to travel to Ukraine and fight for “democracy,” offering nearly $5,000 a month for a three-year contract.
They could renew for another three-year tour. After their tour, the “mercenaries” were also offered to apply for Ukrainian citizenship, and a chance to live and work in Europe. Ukraine’s “Dream Factory” has been attracting dozens of jobless young men, not only for handsome pay, but for a better life in Europe.
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Ukraine has formed a special military unit, called the “Bolivar” battalion, led by a former Venezuelan diplomat who defected to Ukraine in 2022. The battalion took its name from Simon Bolivar, a military leader who led Latin America’s war of independence against Spain in the 19th century.
Recruits from Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela were deployed to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Several private military corporations, like Academi, Triple Canopy, and Idronewall, were processing the recruitment in South America, including Peru and Chile, to send “mercenaries” to Ukraine.
The conflicts around the world, from Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, created opportunities for mercenaries - private military contractors - who were offered pay higher than that of ordinary soldiers enlisting in regular Armed Forces.
As the conflict drags on, the demand for mercenaries grow. The “mercenary” business spans everything, from security and armed guards in shopping malls and businesses, to securing dangerous places and soldiers of fortune who fight in wars. Experts said there is likely to be a ready supply of men. Many are drawn from the same pool: former and retired service men, often members of the special forces units.
An expert of private military corporations, Sean McFate of the National Defence University in Washington, has divided mercenaries into three groups: an English-speaking cluster, mostly from America, Europe, and other Anglophone countries in Iraq and Afghanistan; Russian speakers in Ukraine and Russia; and a Spanish-speaking group of ex-special forces operatives from Latin America in Ukraine.
The industry has expanded over the decades, as various governments have trimmed their armed forces and private demand has grown. With governments struggling to recruit soldiers, mercenaries provide an inexpensive substitute, in part because they do not require the same training, pensions, and benefits.
For most ex-soldiers signing up, the pay can look appealing. Colombian hired guns, for instance, earn far more than they would in government service and often live in cushier surroundings. The end of the conflict in Gaza has made the Ukraine conflict more attractive.
The Ukraine war will produce thousands of hardened soldiers versed in the latest technology, such as strike drones. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, has said his country is considering establishing its own private military corporation. Filipinos are not strangers to private military work. Dozens of police officers and soldiers were recruited to work in Iraq and Afghanistan after 2002.
Some filed leaves of absence from military and police service and served as perimeter guards in US military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan. There were reports of corruption involved when commanders do not report disappearances of subordinates to become private military contractors and collect their monthly pay and allowances. There is a danger that some Filipinos may be lured into fighting for Ukraine as the US military ends its presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The pay in Ukraine is attractive. Even if the recruitment is done privately, the presence of Filipinos in Ukraine could drag the Philippine government into the conflict. Ukraine’s embassy is working to deepen and broaden its bilateral relations with the Philippines. It has offered to help the Philippines develop its drone industry, but Manila should resist efforts to send the drones to Ukraine. Ukraine could only be building drone factories outside its territory, away from the conflict and possible destruction by Russian forces.
As it prepares to host the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summits in 2026, the Philippines should remain neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. ASEAN has been trying to remain neutral. The mercenary issue is one issue that affects Ukraine’s ties with the Philippines.
The embassy should not have has a role in recruiting mercenaries for its conflict with Russia. How many of these “mercenaries” survive the conflict and enjoy a comfortable life in Europe? No one knows, as casualties on both sides of the fence - Ukraine and Russia - keep on piling up.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of this publication.
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