Colombia s Economic Woes Push Fighters to Join Ukraine War – The New York Times

Manuel Barrios joined the battle against Russian forces in Ukraine because a bank threatened to repossess his home in Colombia. Luis Alejandro Herrera returned to the front to recover the savings he lost in a failed attempt to enter the United States through Mexico. Jhoan Cerón fought to provide for his toddler.

All three died in a war that their relatives said they knew or cared little about.

They were among hundreds of Colombian veterans who have volunteered to fight for Ukraine for the chance to make at least three times what they can earn at home.

He said he was fighting a war in a country that wasn t his because of the dire need, said Mr. Barrios s wife, Maria Cubillos.

The stories of Colombian volunteers highlight the shifting nature of the Ukraine war, which has transformed from a fast-moving struggle for national survival into a war of attrition. Heavy losses and stalemated battles are forcing both sides to look for new pools of fighters to replenish their ranks.

For Ukraine, the mainly Western foreign volunteers who arrived last year because of moral conviction, a search for adventure or a hatred of Russia are being supplemented by fighters from poorer nations that more closely resemble the legal definition of mercenaries soldiers driven to foreign conflicts by financial gain.

I would venture to say that not one Colombian has gone there to defend democracy, said Cristian Pérez, who retired as a sniper in Colombia s Army, worked under private security contracts abroad and is considering fighting in Ukraine. I don t believe they have even heard of Ukraine before the war. Everything comes down to economic motivations.

Colombia offers fertile ground for recruiting because decades of struggle against Marxist insurgencies and drug cartels have left the country with the largest army in South America.

Still, foreign fighters make up a tiny fraction of Ukraine s military.

Ukraine s enemy, Russia, has had to put much greater emphasis on financial benefits including death insurance, and subsidized mortgages, to entice volunteers. And Russia has also exploited global economic upheaval to sign up fighters driven by financial need, including men with limited military experience from Central Asia, Nepal and Cuba.

via www.nytimes.com

H/t LGS.