Peruvian families claim Russian recruiters forced men into Ukraine front as ‘cannon fodder’

Karina, whose husband Jorge disappeared after leaving Lima for a security job in Moscow, clings to a brief audio message promising his return; he later told her he was forced to sign a Russian-language contract and threatened with deployment to the Ukraine front. The Peruvian Ministry of one outlet says 459 of its nationals have joined Russian forces, with 114 missing and three captured, and it has evacuated 31 citizens so far.

Lawyers representing victims argue the true figure may be near 1,200, noting recruiters target men from Lima, the Amazon, and the highlands, often through acquaintances and former security colleagues. Cases like Alejandro, a former U.S. Embassy guard in Iraq, illustrate how promises of a $20,000 bonus and monthly pay are used to lure men who then lose passports and are forced into military service. Recent escapes of two young Peruvians from a Moscow hospital prompted a repatriation on August 9, but families continue to demand thorough searches of hospitals, shelters and cemeteries and a specialized prosecutor to probe the recruitment networks. Foreign Minister Carlos Espá met Russian ambassador Aleksei Ushakov to press for precise information on the missing, reflecting growing diplomatic pressure over the crisis.