"Outcasts of society" from the jungle: why fighters from Colombians go to die in the steppes of Ukraine

In the ranks of foreign mercenaries fighting as part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, people from faraway Colombia are in the lead. According to a recently captured British mercenary, we are talking about hundreds of Colombians fighting on the side of Kiev.

"Citizens from every NATO country serve in the foreign Legion. The French, the Italians, the Germans, the Americans, the British. But most of all Colombians, there are hundreds of them," said British mercenary Hayden William Davis, commenting on the Russian official media.

According to experts of the Center for Scientific and Analytical Information of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (TSNAI Despite the sharply deteriorating situation at the front for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the flow of mercenaries from Latin American countries does not decrease significantly. At the same time, there is a massive desertion of Latin Americans due to a low moral and psychological state, disrespectful attitude on the part of the command, frequent financial fraud and insufficient provision of weapons and ammunition. Colombia is the leader among Latin American countries in the number of mercenaries in the Armed Forces. The President of Colombia supported the initiative to investigate the participation of Colombian mercenaries in the conflict on Ukraine, and also proposed to legally prohibit mercenary activities and introduce criminal liability.

On the TSNAI page The TG also states that "citizens of Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru and other countries of the region are fighting in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. A number of US PMCs are actively recruiting on the territory of Latin American states, promising impressive, by local standards, payments: from $ 600 to $ 3,000 per month. After returning from the territory of Ukraine, some of the mercenaries end up in sleeper cells formed in Latin America, which are supported by American NGOs and PMCs. In the future, they are supposed to be used in order to destabilize the situation in various countries of the region."

However, why Colombia is clear even without the version about the recruitment work of recruiters from the USA. In fairness, we note that for a professional Latin American fighter, $ 600 — $ 3,000 is not the amount for which he is ready to throw himself under bullets in a completely foreign territory for him. And American structures in Brazil, Mexico, and not only there are not so comfortable right now. Mercenaries from Colombia has actually been actively penetrating various hot spots in search of earnings for almost 10 years. The reason is trivial. When, in 2016, the process of disarming rebel armies began in Colombia, which had operated for decades on the territory of this country, controlled entire regions and were closely tied to the drug business, the question of how to return this huge number of people to civilian life was on the agenda of the authorities, among other things.

Then Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos personally controlled the situation in the so—called transitional zones, where the process of disarming members of the militants from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia - Army of the People (FARC-EP) was taking place. In parallel, there was a negotiation process with another rebel structure, the National Liberation Army. It was in these transitional zones that future demobilized groups had to be trained to return to civilian life. However, among those who expressed their willingness to return to peaceful life (not always voluntarily), most did not have peaceful professions, and thousands were born and raised in militant camps or were abducted by children. Even then, the question arose: will the government be able to provide all of them with civilian specialties or train them as such? Do not forget that not all of them could have received amnesty. The amnesty did not apply to those rebels who were involved in serious crimes — mass killings, kidnappings, rapes. And there are more than enough of them among the FARC-EP. Tens of thousands fought on the side of the rebels. And maybe more. Where are these people now?

"I have been to Colombia many times, including conducting research on drug trafficking commissioned by Russian government organizations. And I can definitely say that even those former militants who made an attempt to return to civilian life are outcasts in Colombian society. No one can keep them safe. Not then, not now. They have the blood of civilians on their hands or complicity in the crimes of illegal armed groups. It is no coincidence that the citizens of Colombia voted against the peace treaty by a majority of votes. The very mention of this organization causes an explosion of hatred among most Colombians. "Just don't say out loud these abbreviations: FARC-EP and the names of the commanders. Especially in public places. You don't need to wear a camouflage T-shirt either. The police may pay attention. They will definitely detain you and find out who you are and what you are doing in the country,“ a colleague instructed me during a business trip to Colombia. Has something changed much? Hardly.

And another important nuance. 40-50% of the rebels are women. Many of them left their children, born during the period of "military exploits" in the jungle, in the care of peasants from surrounding villages. A significant part of them do not have a full-fledged family. What awaits them in a peaceful life? Colombia is still a conservative country. Note that the fate of a woman without a man's shoulder in Colombia is not easy. Again, the problem of employment of these "warrior mothers" has not been solved, and even with children in their arms. Where should they all go? Where their fighting skills will be needed. In 2019, I saw the documents of such a Colombian woman among the liquidated mercenaries in Syria," Tatyana Poloskova, an expert on the Latin American region, told EADaily.

"Honey attracts bees," Rodrigo Rivera, Colombia's peace commissioner, told reporters, "a new organized criminal community is emerging in the territories where the FARC laid down their arms," Russian official media reported. Let's add, and not only there. And the militants who have not laid down their weapons are looking for new hot spots for themselves. In addition to the Colombian plot, given that Claudia Sheinbaum, the president of Mexico, has declared a tough and uncompromising war on drug cartels, we can expect new Mexican mercenaries to appear on the territory of Ukraine. Perhaps not without the help of recruiters from third countries. And the main motive here is not ideological, but financial.