Venezuela hands over to Russia Colombians who fought for Ukraine - media
That’s according to Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.
As per a Colombian newspaper El Tiempo, both Colombians were detained in the capital of Venezuela, Caracas, before being extradited to Russia. The sister of one of the detainees told the outlet that the Colombians had attracted the attention of the Venezuelan police as they were wearing Ukrainian army uniforms. Alexander Arte and Jose Aron Medina were reportedly on their way home to Colombia, making a stopover in Caracas.
The authorities of Colombia, Venezuela, and Russia issued no comments on the event. Politico also reported possible extradition. If confirmed, the detention and subsequent deportation of Colombians in Caracas would be the first known case of extradition to an aggressor state of citizens of foreign states who fought on the side of Ukraine.
The FSB also published a video purportedly showing the two Colombians being convoyed along the hallway in the Lefortovo pre-trial detention facility. The agency says a criminal case has been initiated on mercenary activity charges. The Colombian nationals face up to 15 years in prison. At the same time, the FSB stopped short of explaining where and when the Colombians were detained.
Since the outset of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia has been actively recruiting foreign mercenaries. There are known cases of citizens of Cuba, India, Syria, and other countries being recruited for deployment in Ukraine. Foreigners are lured with high pay and streamlined naturalization promises.
As reported, in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine created an armed foreign legion as a formal part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, inviting foreign nationals to join the unit to help the nation defend its freedom. In this case, mercenary activity accusations are off the table, since the Legion is a structural unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
