The 33rd Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine captured five Colombian mercenaries fighting for Russia at once
Soldiers from the 33rd Mechanized Brigade captured five Colombian mercenaries serving in the Russian army; notably, one of them was persuaded to surrender by his own brother. The brigade released a video of the incident on September 13.
https://youtu.be/yrRUbALmZEw?si=NmjnVD1MecSzYc8M
Initially, one Colombian surrendered; later, with the assistance of the Security Service of Ukraine’s (SBU) counter-intelligence, he sent a message via family members to his brother, who was also fighting in the occupation army. The brother then convinced four other compatriots to lay down their arms.
The prisoners were met by a 33rd Brigade soldier with the call sign “Kuzya”—the very person the Colombians approached when they decided to save their lives.
“Facing heavy losses, the occupiers are replenishing their ranks with citizens from other countries, promising them the moon—promises that will never be kept. Ultimately, captivity became the only way to escape certain death,” the 33rd Brigade commented regarding the video.
With the help of SBU counter-intelligence, he managed to contact his relatives, who in turn informed his brother—also serving in the Russian army. That brother succeeded in persuading four other compatriots, who had been hired by the Russians, to surrender as well. The brigade noted that the mercenaries did not realize the trap they had fallen into: instead of the promised rear-echelon duties, a “meat-grinder assault” awaited them in less than two months. There was no chance to retreat, as prison or execution awaited them in the rear.
Russia is recruiting foreigners for the front on a massive scale.
The case of the Colombians is not an isolated one. In June 2026, five Colombian mercenaries surrendered to the Defense Forces after a single brief phone call; they emerged from their positions holding white sheets marked “Colombia” above their heads. According to the prisoners themselves, they had been lured to Russia with promises of high pay and “easy” rear-echelon service, only to be thrown into the most dangerous assault sectors of the front without proper training.
The scheme for recruiting foreigners has long since evolved into a system for replenishing the Russian army’s depleted infantry reserves. Mercenaries from Latin America, Africa, and Asia are lured by promises of earnings, held in training centers for only a few weeks, and then sent into the initial waves of assaults. For foreigners—just as for the Russians themselves—the only real chance of survival remains voluntarily surrendering to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.