Peru tries to bring home citizens tricked into fighting for Russia

Peru's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has begun repatriating their citizens who were deceived into fighting for Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Source: Latvia-based media outlet Meduza

Details: Peru's Foreign Ministry said 18 Peruvian citizens who had been lured to Russia by deception and sent to fight against Ukraine had returned home over the past two weeks.

The diplomats said that, as part of consular protection efforts, another Peruvian citizen will return home on 3 May and six more people will arrive in the country on 4 May. Two other citizens who requested support from the Peruvian Embassy in Moscow are still awaiting repatriation under diplomatic protection.

In early May, Peruvian prosecutors launched a preliminary investigation into possible human trafficking after receiving hundreds of reports from citizens about relatives who had gone missing in Russia.

According to the lawyers representing relatives of missing Peruvians, the citizens were lured to Russia with promises of jobs in various sectors, including some linked to the armed forces. The invitations offered positions as security guards, engineers, cooks and taxi drivers, unrelated to service on the front line. The Peruvians were later forced to sign documents in Russian, had their documents confiscated and were sent for brief military training before being deployed to the war.

The lawyers say about 600 Peruvians have travelled to Russia under this scheme since October 2025. At least 13 Peruvian citizens have already been killed in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

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