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View all search resultsDeath of Indonesian recruited by Russian military leaves family bereft
Indonesia’s ambassador to Russia and Belarus, Jose Antonio Morato Tavares, said the Indonesian Embassy in Moscow had received dozens of reports from families about Indonesian citizens who were allegedly recruited to fight for Russia after being promised high salaries.
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Rendi Apriyanto, 30, an Indonesian national who was fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine, poses in a military uniform with a man at an undisclosed location, in this undated photo. Rendi was reportedly killed in September in a drone attack. (courtesy of/Tribunnews.com)
T
he reported death of Rendi Apriyanto, a 30-year-old Indonesian who was fighting for Russia in the war in Ukraine, has left his family in anguish, with no clarity over whether his body can be brought home and questions still surrounding how he was recruited and ended up on the battlefield.
Rendi’s father, Ruskamal, 56, said the family learned of his death from another Indonesian fighting for the Russian military who called to relay the news.
“Rendi’s friend told us they had been caught in a major drone attack. He said he had suffered serious injuries from gunfire and drone strikes, while Rendi was killed around Sept. 18 or 20,” Ruskamal said on Tuesday.
Ruskamal said the friend also told the family that Rendi’s body could not yet be recovered because of intense fighting and the risk of further air strikes along the frontline.
Ruskamal said the family only recently learned that Rendi had joined the Russian military.
The eldest of two children, Rendi left his home in Natuna Island, Riau Islands province, in 2022 to work in the provincial capital Batam. He had studied electrical engineering and worked for a telecommunications company before moving to a shipyard.
“He later traveled to the Philippines to work as an electrician. After completing his first contract, he briefly returned to Indonesia before leaving again for the Philippines,” Ruskamal said.
