Peru Investigates Allegations of Recruiting Citizens to Fight for the Russian Army

SadaNews - Prosecutors in Peru have announced that they are investigating an alleged human trafficking network that offers fake jobs in Russia and leads Peruvian citizens to find themselves forced to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine.

The Attorney General's Office stated in a press release that citizens, including former military personnel, were recruited through misleading offers on social media to work as guards and security personnel for lucrative salaries in Russia.

The statement added that, according to information provided to the police, "the victims were transported to Russia, and upon their arrival on foreign soil, they were forced to participate in combat operations in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine."

The Attorney General immediately launched an investigation into "human trafficking" crimes.

Percy Salinas, an attorney for the families of the victims, reported in a television interview that 13 Peruvians were killed in the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to Salinas, around 600 Peruvians have been lured to Russia since October with promises of monthly salaries ranging from two thousand to three thousand U.S. dollars.

The Peruvian Foreign Ministry announced that it has requested the Russian embassy to provide information about the whereabouts of its citizens who "decided to join the armed forces" of Russia.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Moscow embassy in Lima acknowledged that Peruvians had signed contracts to join the Russian armed forces. However, the embassy confirmed that these individuals did so voluntarily of their own accord and legally.