A Ukrainian assault unit said via their Telegram that it captured two Colombian citizens fighting on Russia’s side in the Pokrovsk area and published video alongside the claim.
The 425th Skelia Separate Assault Regiment said the two men told Ukrainian forces they traveled to Russia for construction work after being promised $2,500 per month, but after arriving in the city of Ufa their documents were taken, they were issued rifles, and they were sent to assault toward Pokrovsk without food or water.
The claim was reported by RBC-Ukraine.
What is known from the published account
The regiment’s account centers on the detainees’ explanation of how they ended up in a combat role, including the alleged offer of paid construction work and the reported confiscation of documents after arrival in Russia.
The unit’s post did not provide independent documentation of the recruitment pipeline it described, and details beyond what appears in the video and caption could not be independently verified from the materials available.
Broader pattern: foreign nationals describing deceptive recruitment
The episode echoes a broader trend described in reporting on Russia’s recruitment of foreign nationals into its war effort. CNN has cited Ukrainian officials as saying that hundreds of captured foreigners from dozens of countries have described being drawn in through deception, bribery or coercion, based on accounts provided to Ukrainian authorities.
Separately, reporting has described recruitment pitches framed as job offers that later led to frontline deployment, including cases involving Kenyans. BBC and others have has also reported on a Putin decree that compels foreigners seeking Russian residency to sign army contracts.
Context: Pokrovsk remains contested
The disclosure comes as fighting around Pokrovsk remains contested, with Ukrainian officials disputing Russian claims the city has fallen, according to ABC News.
In that context, the Ukrainian unit’s publication of captured foreign fighters functions both as a battlefield update and as an information signal about how Russia is sustaining manpower for assaults on key fronts, including around Pokrovsk.
