Two former Colombian soldiers who left to fight in Ukraine will go on trial in Moscow in October. Alexander Ante, 47, and José Medina, 36, are currently being held in Lefortovo Prison on mercenary charges and could face up to 15 years in prison.
The two men had disappeared on July 18 during a stopover in Caracas as they were heading home after spending eight and ten months, respectively, on the front lines in the 49th "Carpathian Sich" infantry battalion. They reappeared handcuffed in a video published by Russia's Federal Security Service in late August. Russian authorities told the Colombian embassy in Moscow that the two former soldiers were arrested on August 26 and brought before a judge on the 29th. The Venezuelan authorities, suspected of involvement in the operation, have remained silent.
This affair is a reminder that hundreds of Colombians fight outside their country, legally or not. In 2021, this phenomenon was highlighted by the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse by Colombian mercenaries. The Andean country experienced a very long armed conflict. "Its military and police officers, who have real field experience, are very much in demand by private security companies and warring states," recalled Andres Macias, a researcher at Externado University.
"Colombians make up one of the largest foreign contingents, but not the largest," said Oleksandr Shaguri, a spokesman for the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, which includes most foreign fighters. Commenting on the Colombians' quality as soldiers, Shaguri insisted that there was no standard profile: "Each individual comes to us with a different training. Some are very good, others less so, and still others arrive with no military training whatsoever," he explained.
Ante, after completing his military service, spent over ten years in the Colombian army and had been unemployed for months when he left for Ukraine in October 2023. "He heeded the sirens' call on social media," said his sister, Carolina. Medina, who left shortly after his compatriot, was working as a janitor. He had bank loans to repay. The Ukrainian army pays foreign fighters the equivalent of €1,500 to €3,000 a month, on equal terms with Ukrainians' wages. In Colombia, soldiers earn between €270 and €540.
Ante and Medina, who befriended each other in Ukraine, had informed their families of their return in July. "My husband said that he had seen many of his comrades die and that he wanted to see his children again," sighed Cielo Paz, José's wife and the mother of their two children. "My brother said the war over there was too horrible," added Alexander's sister Carolina.
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