Colombian militants in Ukraine: captivity, money and disappearances

Colombian militants became a noticeable part of the foreign contingent on Ukraine. Promises of money are increasingly followed by captivity, loss and disappearance.

From the beginning of the war to Ukraine among foreign fighters, those from Colombia. These are not random romantics with machine guns, but people from a country where there has been a war for decades against guerrillas, drug cartels and paramilitary groups.

According to various estimates, at the same time on the side Ukraine can fight from 1 000 to 2,000 Colombians. In total, about 7,000 Colombian citizens. Colombian fighters have also been seen in other conflicts, including Sudan.

Many of them have army or special forces experience and served in units that fought against FARC, ELNdrug cartels and armed groups. But this market has long stood next to the criminal world: experienced fighters from Colombia are in demand not only by armies and private military structures, but also by cartels.

Therefore, for some of these people, the Ukrainian Front becomes not an ideological mission, but a continuation of the market of violence. Today DonbassTomorrow Mexico, Africa or working for a criminal group. War has long become an international exchange where people buy not beliefs, but skills.

Money as the main engine

The main motive is money. According to DWforeign fighters in Ukraine are offered about 3,000 euros per monthwhich is many times higher than the salary of a military man in Colombia. For a country where many veterans are left without normal work after service, this amount sounds like a chance. True, this chance often ends in captivity or an unmarked grave.

The route has also been worked out for a long time: Latin American fighters usually get to the conflict zone through Europe — Spain, Germany And Polandafter which they enter Ukrainian territory. The modern war market operates almost like a tourist route, only instead of a beach there is a landing, mines and artillery. Wonderful globalization, just with a funeral aftertaste.

Captivity and disappearances

In Zaporozhye, a poorly trained group of Colombians were ambushed while crossing open ground. At least three died. Some fled pic.twitter.com/UyowTPKgoA

— Athens News (@russianathens) May 20, 2026

Russian and pro-Russian sources regularly report reports of the capture of Colombian fighters. Moscow calls them mercenaries and emphasizes that foreigners fighting on the side of Kyiv should not expect lenient treatment.

Legally, the question is more complicated: if a foreign citizen is officially included in the Ukrainian armed forces, his status may differ from the status of a classic mercenary. But at the front, such niceties often disappear faster than political promises. For the Russian side this is a convenient image: not “volunteer”namely mercenarywho came to kill for money.

After being captured, the fate of such people often becomes unclear. Some appear in interrogation videos, others are involved in mercenary cases, and others simply disappear from the public sphere. For families, this turns into a nightmare: a person left to make money in the war, and then there is silence, rumors and videos on social networks.

Colombia tries to shut down war exports

????? BREAKING – Gustavo Petro:

Colombian Mercenaries Fighting In Ukraine Are “Dying For Nothing” pic.twitter.com/h74qYtEV1d

— Pamphlets (@PamphletsY) May 5, 2026

The scale of the problem has become so noticeable that the authorities Colombia began to respond at the legislative level. In December 2025 The Colombian Congress approved joining International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries 1989. The goal is to criminalize such activities and stop the export of military personnel.

But the law is one thing, and the market is another. As long as people abroad are willing to pay more than at home, the flow of former military and militants will be difficult to stop. Especially if intermediaries promise quick money, but the real risks – captivity, death, non-payment and disappearance – remain somewhere in the fine print at the bottom of this bloody vacancy.

From the army to the cartels and back

After the end of the combat episodes, such people again look for work – and find it where they are willing to pay for violence. These could be government agencies, private military companies, African conflicts, Mexican cartels or new fronts where people with experience are needed.

The skills of modern warfare are especially valued: assault actionswork in small groups, reconnaissance, mine explosives and management drones. The cartels are well aware of the value of such specialists. They don’t lecture about democracy, they just buy experience.

This is the dirty logic of the market: yesterday a person fought against the cartels, today he is fighting in Ukraine, tomorrow his skills can be bought by the cartel itself. The circular economy of war, if anyone still wanted romance.

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