Colombia introduces law delegitimizing the hiring of mercenaries
2 Min Read
A video of a Colombian mercenary fighting for Ukraine was recently published, where he says he was tricked into fighting in the frontlines for Kiev.
-
Ukrainian servicemen prepare a M777 howitzer to fire towards Russian positions at the frontline in Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, August 21, 2024. (AP)
Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo announced on Thursday that the Colombian administration has sent a measure to Congress that would outlaw the hiring of mercenaries inside the country.
Murillo posted on X: "Today we submit to Congress the bill that would approve the 'International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.' This instrument is essential to prevent our compatriots from being involved in external conflicts, safeguarding their safety and protecting their lives".
Hoy radicamos en el Congreso el Proyecto de Ley con el que se aprueba la "Convención Internacional Contra el Reclutamiento, la Utilización, la Financiación y el Entrenamiento de Mercenarios". Este instrumento es esencial para evitar que nuestros compatriotas sean involucrados en… pic.twitter.com/du17j1WvTW
— Luis Gilberto Murillo (@LuisGMurillo) August 22, 2024
A video of arrested Colombian mercenary Angel Cardenas Montilla, who served with the Ukrainian military, was made public by the Russian Defense Ministry at the beginning of June. Montilla claimed that he had been tricked by his Ukrainian handlers into believing he would be helping to secure a rear facility, but they had actually sent him to the front.
Montilla said that he had arrived in Ukraine after responding to a TikTok advertisement recruiting mercenaries to fight against Russia. After receiving only expedited basic training, Montilla said that foreign recruits, like him, lacked a clear understanding of their circumstances, making them easy targets for deception by the Ukrainian command. He also said that he had not received the promised initial salary.
Back in March, Russia revealed that 13,000 foreigners had fought for Kiev and around 6,000 had died. The Ukrainians also say their international legion is constituted of around 20,000 fighters from 50 countries.
It is worth mentioning that the head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, Konstantin Gavrilov said, as quoted by the Russian newspaper Izvestia earlier in June, that there are 92 foreign sabotage and reconnaissance groups operating in Ukraine, including 14 American ones, as per available data, which the Pentagon confirmed in open sources.
