TV network CNN has published the results of a large-scale journalistic investigation revealing a massive scheme to recruit foreign nationals to participate in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. The focus is on hundreds of residents of Peru and other Latin American countries who were lured to Russia under the guise of employment but were, in fact, drawn into combat operations.

The Deception Mechanism: From TikTok Job Postings to Military Contracts

According to the investigation, based on interviews with relatives of the victims and an analysis of digital footprints on social media, the organizers of the scheme deliberately target socially vulnerable segments of the population in Global South countries. Virtual advertising offers attractive conditions that are hard to ignore in the context of economic instability.

The proposed job vacancies sound peaceful and attractive: cook, driver, security guard. The working conditions described in the ads look tempting:

  • Salary: from $2000 per month — a sum significantly exceeding the average income in the applicants' region of residence.
  • Benefits package: payment for transfer, health insurance, and reimbursement of visa application expenses.
  • Legal preferences: a promise of simplified acquisition of Russian Federation citizenship.

However, reality turns out to be harsh. Procedural deception occurs at the stage of document verification in specialized selection centers located, for example, in the Moscow and Tula regions. Due to the lack of certified translations of documents into Spanish and the applicants' ignorance of Russian legislation norms, instead of employment contracts, they sign standard contracts for military service for a term of one year.

State Reaction and Legal Consequences

Cases of recruiting foreign nationals to participate in the armed conflict on the side of the Russian Federation have previously been recorded by the diplomatic missions of Nepal, India, Cuba, and Somalia. The governments of several Latin American and Asian countries have already begun to adopt mirror legislative measures aimed at criminalizing mercenarism and tightening control over citizens' departure on specific work visas.

The authorities of Peru, whose citizens became the subject of CNN's investigation, have already begun checking recruitment channels and issued consular warnings. The country's General Prosecutor's Office is investigating the activities of private employment agencies in Lima. In Nepal, a ban on issuing work permits for the Russian Federation has been introduced, while in Cuba, participants in human trafficking networks and recruiters have been arrested.

Legal Deadlock and Mercenary Status

The Russian side traditionally emphasizes that all foreign nationals join the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation exclusively on a voluntary basis. However, according to federal legislation, unilateral termination of an already signed military contract during the period of the decree on partial mobilization is legally impossible. An attempt to leave entails criminal liability for desertion or unauthorized absence from the unit.

From the point of view of international law, the situation for such fighters is critical. According to Article 47 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, persons who are not citizens of a state party to the conflict and who take a direct part in hostilities for the purpose of personal gain may be classified as mercenaries. This deprives them of the right to prisoner-of-war status upon detention, leaving them without international legal protection.